Lie to Me
by philosofox
Summary: "I just hate him," she said, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at the floor angrily. "Do you think he's even a real person? Hey! You don't know L, do you?" Ryuzaki stared at her, nearly dropping his cupcake. "Actually, yes, I do," he said, pushing his thumb under his lip. "He's not so bad."
1. Prologue

**Full** **Summary** : This story takes place before, during, and after the events of Death Note and the Kira Investigation. The time and place will constantly alternate between the past and the present. In 1996, Emma is taken in by L as a protected witness whose testimony is more valuable than anyone realizes at the time - and the last thing she wants to do is work with L. In present time, Emma is still learning to live a life without L as she continues to help the Task Force catch Kira. However, she has returned to the Task Force as an undercover informant for Near.

* * *

 **Prologue**

"L is dead."

 _"Emory?"_

 _"Yes, Lawleit?"_

 _"Don't call me that - "_

 _"Well I assumed we were being formal, since you used my full name. You know I hate that name."_

 _"I apologize. Emma."_

 _"Thank you. Now what do you want?"_

The tinkle of breaking china filled the short silence that was in the room as the cup in Emma's hand fell to the floor. Ignoring the hot tea soaking through her socks, slightly burning her toes, Emma brought a hand to her mouth, her eyes widened in shock. L was... dead? It had to be a mistake. It was not that long ago that she left him in Japan to return to Wammy's House, at his request. At first, she refused, but he had insisted.

 _Is this why you wanted me to leave?_ Her vision began to blur as a pool of tears filled her eyes. _Did you know this would happen?_

"Dead?! Why?!" Mello demanded, leaning against the wooden table.

Roger merely grunted in response. On the ground, Near sat silently, putting together his puzzle.

She remembered one of their last conversations. Emma had begun to pack her things at headquarters, and L was crouched on her bed, watching her, studying her face to see if it revealed any emotion. He knew she was angry at him for telling her to leave, but it was for the best.

 _I should have stayed._

 _"I want you to know that you have been a very valuable partner to me."_

 _"Then why are you making me leave?" she had demanded, glaring at him angrily._

 _"I have a very bad feeling... or perhaps a very good feeling. Either way, it's best you're not around."_

"Did Kira kill him? Is that it?" Mello brought himself closer to Roger, waiting for confirmation of what they already knew was true: Kira killed L.

"Probably."

Mello grabbed Roger by his shirt and shook him. "He said that he would get Kira executed... and was killed... Is that what you're saying?!"

"M-Mello - !"

The sound of puzzle pieces clattering against the floor suddenly filled the room. Mello turned to look at Near, who, still on the floor, had picked up and tipped over his puzzle board, letting the pieces rain down onto the carpet.

"If you can't beat the game... if you can't solve the puzzle..." Near began putting the pieces back onto the board, not looking up at Mello, who was staring at him incredulously. "You're nothing but a loser."

Ignoring Near, Mello turned back to Roger, slamming his hand down on the desk.

"Me or Near? So which one of us did L...?"

Emma finally broke her silence, stepping over the broken glass shattered at her feet, "What? That's what you care about right now? L is - he's - and all you can think about is -"

She furiously wiped at the tears that had begun to roll down her cheeks. She hadn't even noticed her tears had begun to fall. Her head was spinning, and her body was numb. She felt as if the floor had disappeared from underneath her, and she was slowly tumbling down into the darkness. There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Of course I care about that!" Mello said matter-of-factly, rolling his eyes at her tears. "It's important! Who else is gonna catch Kira?"

"He hadn't decided," Emma sobbed, shooting a dark look in Mello's direction. "He had a lot on his mind... the day I left... he knew something was gonna happen..."

"Mello... Near..." Roger began, keeping his eyes fixated on his desk. "How about the both of you work together...?"

Emma let out a half sob, half laugh, while Mello let out an angry sigh.

"Sure, sounds good," Near agreed without skipping a beat, never taking his eyes off his puzzle.

"That's impossible," Mello said, exasperated. "You know that Near and I don't get along. We've always competed against each other. Always."

Dead silence. For a few seconds, the only sounds that filled the room were of Near's puzzle pieces as they clicked together and Emma's shaky breaths, until -

"It's fine, Roger," Mello said suddenly, a serious expression falling across his face. "Near should succeed L. Unlike me, Near will solve this unemotionally, like a puzzle."

As if on cue, Near placed the final piece of his puzzle in the corner of the board. Emma felt an ache in her chest as she looked at the completed puzzle. Through her tears, she saw a blurry L in the corner of the puzzle board.

 _"Please don't make me leave," she had pleaded after zipping up her suitcase._

 _L stood up from the bed and crouched down so he was eye level with her._

 _"It's for the best, really," he repeated._

 _Her eyes had begun to burn, but she bit back the tears that were threatening to fall. She kept her eyes on the floor, avoiding L's concerned eyes. She hated that she could cry so easily. She didn't want L to think she was weak. Was that why he was sending her away? Did he finally see that she wasn't strong enough to handle such a high profile case? After all these years, he's realized that she's useless as a partner._

 _She froze suddenly as she felt his hand cup her chin and raise her head so that she was staring straight into his eyes. He sighed softly, as if chiding a small child. The look on his face was not unlike the look he'd had the first time they met, when he offered her safety and shelter, for which she was always grateful. Suddenly, she felt very calm._

 _"You've done nothing wrong, Emmy," he said softly, tilting his head and resting his forehead on hers. "This is simply a precaution. I would never forgive myself if anything ever happened to you. Please, return to Wammy's House, and I will see you again when this is all over."_

"I'm leaving this institution," Mello continued, still ignoring Near, and bringing Emma back into the present.

"What?" Emma said, turning to face Mello as he began walking out of the room. "You can't leave! We need to stick together now more than ever!"

"I'm almost fifteen anyway." Mello walked right past her, and she wanted to punch him.

"Mello, please don't go."

He ignored her, walking straight out of the office and leaving her there, standing once again on the spilled tea that had made its way across the wood floor. It had started seeping into the carpet, getting cold. Once Mello left, the only sounds that filled the room were the puzzle pieces snapping together.


	2. Escape

**Author's Note:** I decided to switch the first few chapters, because I honestly didn't like the flow of the story. Let me know what you guys think!

* * *

 **Chapter One**

"Near!"

Emma practically sprinted over to the young boy hunched over a collection of dolls scattered across the wood floor. She threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly, ignoring his stiffened muscles. This was her first time seeing him in person rather than through a computer since they'd found out L died, and Mello stormed out of Roger's office. He smelled of vanilla, which comforted Emma instantly - he smelled like L.

"I've missed you so much," she said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She grabbed a fistful of his white hair tightly, something Near had gotten used to throughout the years. She had done it the first time they met and continued to do so ever since.

He recoiled slightly away from her embrace, but he sighed and did not push her away. Emma had gotten used to this; she never expected any return of affection from any of the Wammy children. At first, she had been hesitant to speak to anyone when she first arrived at Wammy's House except L. However, when she met Near, she was instantly attached to the young child. Every time she saw him, he appeared to be more and more like L.

Much to Emma's surprise, Near lifted his hand from the ground and patted her back gently.

"I missed you, too, Em," he said dryly, but she was grateful for the small gesture.

Suddenly, she pushed him back and placed her hands on his shoulders firmly. Her green eyes stared into his grey ones. After a few moments of silence, she slowly leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I think I know who Kira is."

Near's eyes widened slightly, but he was not surprised. He knew it was only a matter of time before Emma realized what he had already concluded upon being briefed. Emma straightened again, and he quickly reverted back to his bored gaze. He smiled softly, reaching down to pick up the small wooden doll that lay in front of him. He grabbed a black Sharpie and carefully penned _Kira_ on the doll's chest.

"I see," he said quietly, placing the Kira doll back down on the floor across from the rest of the collection. Emma felt her chest tighten when her eyes fell on the _L_ doll. "I believe I have a pretty good idea of who Kira is as well, but I'd like to hear your thoughts. I'm sure we have come to the same conclusion."

* * *

 _Case #0021_

The first time Emma had met L was when he was interrogating her via a blank computer screen and a microphone. She was trembling in the chair Watari had placed her in. Of course, at the time, she had no idea who this strange old man was; but he had been nice to her, and that was all that mattered. He'd placed a cup of tea in front of her and let her borrow one of the FBI jackets to cover herself.

" _What is your name_?" The scrambled voice spoke loudly through the microphone, causing Emma to jump.

"Um... Em - Emory," she mumbled, slumping down into her chair. "Emory Jordyn."

" _Emory Jordyn_ ," the computer continued, " _I am L. I was the one who organized the raid in attempt to arrest Klein Dolvetsky. Do you know where any of his hideouts may be? Where could he have possibly run to_?"

"I... I don't know."

" _How were you able to escape_?"

Everything had happened so fast, it was all a blur. Her boss, Klein, had been leading her to the VIP room, where she knew Mr. Charles was waiting. He came almost every week and requested her and Kaitlyn, and Klein always threatened both of them to be on their best behavior. If they did not please Mr. Charles, they'd be beaten and locked in one of the walk-in closets.

"He's one of our best customers," he would say, "so don't fuck this up."

Before they could even reach the VIP room, Emma heard a loud _BANG!_ on the other end of the house, followed by deep screams on the other side of the hallway door, where the back door was.

 _"FBI!"_

 _"Get down!"_

 _"Everyone get down on the floor!"_

The entire house was slowly filling with smoke and the sound of heavy boots stomping down the halls. Emma tried to squint through the smoke to see what was going on. She could see a few of the clients stumbling out into the hallway, some half naked, while others were attempting to pull their pants up. She scanned the area for Kaitlyn, worried for the older girl. She had always protected Emma, keeping Mr. Charles entertained so that he would not touch her. But she could not continue her search, for Klein grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her down the hall, practically ripping open a door to the left and dragging her down a flight of stairs. Before they were halfway down, he threw her down into the darkness.

"Don't you fucking move," Klein hissed, turning to run back up the stairs. "I will _not_ lose my two best girls."

Emma heeded his demand and quickly ran down the stairs, her eyes adjusting to the pitch black darkness. There was a short moment when the door was still open that light spilled into the basement, but that was almost immediately put out by the slamming of the door being closed again. She could hear the sharp clicking sound of a key turning on the other side of the door over the screams from upstairs. He had locked her down here alone.

Stretching her arms out into the darkness around her, Emma began to feel around for a light switch on the wall. _Please let there be a light... a lamp... something..._

Her fingers swept across what felt like a switch, and her heart rate sped up. With a trembling hand, she flipped the switch. A dim light filled the room, and she quickly brought her arm up to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. As her eyes adjusted to the light once again, she immediately scanned the room, looking for anything that might help her.

There was a tall bookcase filled with books and dust bunnies, the thick volumes too worn and dust-covered to reveal their titles. Beside the bookcase was an oddly clean office desk; it was the only thing in the basement not covered in cobwebs and dust. Emma made a beeline towards it and began rummaging through its drawers. Papers... pens... a stapler... the first drawer offered no resources for her, and she quickly slammed it shut and moved on to the next.

Towards the back of the room was a locked door Emma knew led to the outside. She had been allowed outside through that door once before, when Mr. Charles wanted to take her and Kaitlyn to the park. She didn't even want to think about how much money he'd paid for _that_ privilege. Klein never let the girls go outside, only the boys.

" _Emory Jordyn_ ," the computer spoke up again, breaking her train of thought. " _Please answer the question. How did you manage to get out alone? Was there anyone else with you_?"

She shook her head, then realized the person behind the screen probably could not see her, so she mumbled, "No.. I tried to look for Kaitlyn, but I don't know where she went... Did you find her?"

" _Answer my questions first_ ," the computer repeated, " _and I will try to find your friend_."

After looking through the third drawer, she finally found what she was looking for: She pinched the paperclip between her trembling fingers and held it up to the light like a trophy. After a quick glance at the stairs to make sure Klein was not coming back, she stumbled over to the door and studied it carefully. Luckily, it did not have a bolt lock. The key to the lock was no doubt in Klein's pockets, along with the rest of the keys one would need to get through the house. Klein kept everything locked, even the guest bedrooms, unless someone was inside, but they usually locked it from the inside anyway.

Crouching down onto her knees beside the door, Emma quickly straightened the curved paperclip before sliding it into the keyhole of the doorknob. She could still hear the turmoil going on upstairs, and she was pretty sure she'd just heard them bust down one of the doors. She wondered when Klein would return - _if_ he would return -

" _I'm sorry, but are you telling me you were able to get out simply by using a paperclip to unlock the back door_?"

"Uh-huh," Emma nodded slowly, tightening the black FBI jacket around her shoulders as she shivered, suddenly feeling very self conscious of her half naked body. "Mr. Klein would beat me if he caught me... One time, he caught me trying to pick the lock to my bedroom..."

" _Klein Dolvetsky physically abused you_?" the computer queried. " _Did he do this with all of the children_?"

"Um... I think so," Emma mumbled. "I saw him hit Kaitlyn a few times. He left me in the basement to go look for Kaitlynn. He said he didn't wanna lose his two best girls."

The computer was silent for a while, until she heard a sigh come through the speaker. She instantly perked up at the sign of a human being behind the screen.

" _Watari_ ," the scrambled voice began, " _this girl doesn't know anything. Please escort her to a room and make sure she's taken care of_."

"Wait!" Emma stood suddenly, the chair clattering to the floor behind her. "What about my friend? You promised you'd find her."

" _I did, and I will_ ," the voice replied. " _However, I imagine you're very tired and perhaps even hungry. I will let you know as soon as I learn anything about your friend_."

To this day, Emma could still feel the very same shiver crawl up her spine that she had felt the day she'd stepped out into the night, through the back door of the basement. The only thing covering her freckled body was the black lingerie Klein had made her change into before taking her to the VIP room. The wind swept through her black hair, and it fell across her face, hiding the fresh tears falling down her cheeks. She finally felt free.

* * *

"As I'm sure you already know, we cannot just come forth and arrest Kira," Near continued, starting to put together the puzzle he had just let topple down to the floor. "After all, we have no evidence that he is, in fact, Kira."

Emma sipped her cup of chamomile tea and picked up one of the puzzle pieces from the wooden floor. Quietly, she connected it to the piece Near had just placed on the board, lifting her eyes to watch Near's reaction. He stiffened at first, but allowed himself to relax. He had also gotten used to Emma solving his puzzles with him. He may have to get used to working with her from now on - after all, that is what L would have wanted. Unlike Mello, Near did not mind working with others.

"I'm sure you have a plan," she said, smirking at him, her green eyes bright with excitement.

"I do," Near said without taking his eyes off the puzzle. He could feel her eyes burning a hole through the top of his head. "Excuse me for straying off the subject... but have you heard anything from Mello since that day in Roger's office?"

Emma started to shake her head, then paused for a moment before answering. "Well... he did try to recruit me to work with him on solving the Kira case. He was with some rather... questionable associates."

"Hm." Near continued working on the puzzle, giving Emma a chance to place a piece down on the board every few minutes. "That's rather surprising. I never imagined Mello working with anyone else, especially with you..."

"Am I not easy to work with?" Emma laughed, a light blush creeping up behind her freckles.

"Quite the opposite, actually," Near muttered, twirling a lock of his hair between his fingers. "I've always found you very easy to work with. L always took your opinions into perspective, and as his successor, I would like some things to remain the same, if you're willing."

Her lips parted slightly, looking down at Near in shock. He wanted her to continue being L's partner? Or perhaps now it would be N's partner. She wasn't sure what he had decided to do, if anything, once they officially brought down L's new imposter. Would they continue to keep up the charade that L was still alive?

"Of course I'm willing to work with you," Emma said quietly, looking down at the ground to avoid meeting his gaze. She knew it wouldn't matter either way, because she was certain Near was doing the same. "I promised L I'd never give up, no matter what happens, and I intend to keep that promise."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Things are finally picking up! I've been dying to get the first boring chapters out of the way, so I can get to the good stuff.


	3. Night Terrors

**Author's Note:** So while re-watching episode 27 "Abduction", I completely forgot about the dates shown between the time of L's death and when Near and Mello find out. So for the purpose of this story, we're going to say L died the same year Mello and Near found out, because it made no sense to me why it would take them 3 years to find out. According to the anime, L dies in 2004, and the day in Roger's office is in 2007. Can anyone help me out with the timeline?

I'm going to focus more on Emma and L's past in this chapter. I want you guys to get to know Emma better and learn how she and L became so close.

Anyway, thanks for reading!

* * *

 _April, 1996_

Three weeks passed since L promised Emma he'd find Kaitlyn, but as far as Emma knew, she'd disappeared into thin air.

After a few days of more interviews and being questioned by FBI agents, L decided she would stay with him - even though she hadn't actually met him in person yet. Most of the other abducted children they found in Klein's circle had been reported missing years prior. However, in Emma's case, nobody was looking for her. She did not recall having any family at all, except Kaitlyn. Klein had always been there, since she was very young. Anything that came before Klein was blank.

Klein Dolvetsky, who also disappeared and was yet to be behind bars.

Somewhere, he was looking for Emma. He had Kaitlyn with him as well, and he was simply biding his time.

 _"Emmy! Help me! Please!"_

 _"Help!"_

 _"Please!"_

 _There was blood everywhere, and then a toothy grin in the darkness. The smell of whiskey filled her nose._

 _"Mr. Charles is waiting for us."_

 _"Take your fucking clothes off."_

 _"Help me!"_

She bolted upright in her bed, covered in sweat and gasping for air. The clock on her nightstand read 2:30 AM.

She felt her burning skin through the sleeve of her t-shirt as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. How many times was she going to have the same dream?

Emma sighed, kicking the thick covers out of her way as she climbed out of the bed. She looked through her drawers and pulled out a change of clothes. The house was dead silent, save for the sound of the clock on the nightstand. She felt a shiver crawl up her spine as she made her way to the bathroom.

She squinted as the bathroom filled with light. It was pristine: The sink appeared to be untouched, the white taps glimmering and spotless. Almost everything was white, apart from the dark clawed feet of the vintage style bathtub and the baby blue rug laid out in front of it.

Turning on the hot water, she kept her eyes fixated on the floor of the tub. She brought a hand to her cheek and felt a wetness there - had she been crying?

Rubbing her eyes, she slipped out of the sweat-soaked t-shirt she'd worn to sleep and let it fall to the ground. Quickly, she washed the sweat off her body and scrubbed herself with soap before sinking into the warm water that now filled the tub. She watched as tiny curls of steam rose from the water.

After rinsing the soap from her hair, she climbed out of the tub and dried herself off.

Feeling much better now that she was wearing dry, clean clothes, she stepped out of the bathroom and back into her room, shaking her wet hair out and running her fingers through it. Already, it begun to curl at the ends.

Her bedroom was dark; she hadn't bothered to turn on the light before taking her bath. She knew it would only make it harder for her to fall back asleep, if she could at all. Usually, when this happened, she lay awake in her bed for hours, waiting for the rays of sun to come through her window and the sounds of the other children stirring in the house.

"Did you wet the bed?"

Emma jumped, dropping the towel to the floor and letting out a yelp. She whirled around and squinted her eyes. A slumped figure loomed in the darkness.

Suddenly, the light flickered on, revealing the intruder: Standing in front of her door with his hands shoved in his pockets was a young boy that looked rather odd. He did not seem much older than her, but his tired eyes aged him. Round black saucers stared at her, his head slightly tilted as if he was studying her.

"Who - Who are you?" Emma stuttered, her heart thudding in her chest. She'd never seen this boy before, and he looked so... _creepy_. "What are you doing in my room?!"

"Don't worry," he said, running a hand through his wild black hair, "I live here."

" _I've_ never seen you here before."

"That's because I very rarely leave the comfort of my bedroom," he explained. "You can call me Ryuzaki."

"Ryu...zaki...?"

"That's right."

"Um... my name - "

"I already know your name. You're Emory Jordyn." He stared blankly at her.

 _He really is a creep._

"It's Emma."

"Well, Emma, is there any reason you continue to wake up screaming at two in the morning every other night?" he asked simply.

"I... I scream?" She felt a warmth rising in her cheeks.

"Oh, yes," he continued, shuffling over to her bed and examining the covers. "It's quite loud. I can also hear you running the bath water. It appears that it is not a bed-wetting problem, unless you have colorless and odorless urine - "

"Of course it's not - " Emma blushed furiously, biting her lip. "I'm fourteen! I just have night - "

She covered her mouth, suddenly very aware of the fact that she had never met this boy before. She wasn't about to explain her nightmares to him. If she did that, she'd have to explain _why_ she was having them in the first place.

"Night terrors, of course," Ryuzaki mumbled, sticking his thumb between his lips. "Well, I suppose I can help you get rid of your anxiety."

"I never said I had anxiety - !"

"Come with me."

She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something almost... _familiar_ about him. _No, definitely not_ , she thought to herself. She would have remembered meeting such a strange person. Nevertheless, she followed him through the dimly lit house.

She nearly ran into his back when he stopped in front of a door. Light flooded into the room as they stepped inside, revealing the giant kitchen. In contrast to her white bathroom, the kitchen was mostly made up of dark wood and granite counter-tops. At one end was a tall swinging door that Emma knew led to the dining room. Even with the lights on, the red walls made the kitchen appear much darker than it was, especially at such a late hour. Pots and pans were hanging from hooks over the island in the center, all of them spotless.

"Sit."

Emma did not protest or question him. She pulled herself up on one of the stools placed beside the counter, placing her hands in her lap and twisting her fingers as she watched him rummage through the cabinets. Why was he helping her? And what did he want in return? Klein's voice spoke up in the back of her head:

 _"Men never give anything without something in return. Remember that, and you'll do fine."_

 _Shut up._

A clinking sound suddenly brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see Ryuzaki placing a small plate holding a teacup in front of her. He pushed it towards her wordlessly.

She hesitated, peeking into the cup and seeing a yellow liquid.

"It's chamomile tea." Ryuzaki sighed, resting his head on his folded arms on top of the counter. He looked bored. "Watari used to make it for me when I was younger to help me sleep."

The mention of Watari's name instantly relaxed her. Surely, if this boy knew Watari, he could not have been that bad.

"Thank you," she said quietly, raising the cup to her lips.

"Don't thank me," he replied, lifting his head slightly to look at her seriously. "I'm only doing this because you keep disturbing me in the middle of the night when I'm trying to work."

"Oh."

She remained silent until she finished the tea.

"I suppose you'll need somewhere to sleep," Ryuzaki muttered, his thumbnail in his mouth again as he considered the options. "I can't imagine it's comfortable sleeping on sweaty sheets. You can stay in my bed. It's hardly ever used, anyway."

"Oh, um... that's okay."

 _This is what he wanted in return._

They walked into what Emma would have guessed was the biggest room in the house. She gaped at the giant four poster bed, raised high off the wood floors. A royal blue duvet covered the mattress, the white pillows neatly arranged at the headboard. Two gold decorative pillows were placed carefully in front of the rest of the larger pillows.

It was as if the bed had never been touched before.

"Now, let's see..." Ryuzaki was searching through a drawer, his hunched back turned to her. There was a mountain of candy wrappers in a wastebasket.

When he turned back around, he dropped the chocolate bar he'd found. It was his turn to scream.

Emma stood in the middle of his bedroom, her shirt thrown down by her socks, clad only in a white bra and underwear. Her face bright red, she averted her eyes to the floor in front of her.

Ryuzaki had covered his eyes with his hands, stumbling backwards and colliding with the desk behind him. A stack of papers fell to the floor, but he continued to step backwards, his bare foot stepping on one of them and causing him to slip. He tumbled down onto the floor, his eyes still covered.

"W-What's wrong?" Emma squeaked, looking puzzled.

"Why are you clothes off?!" Ryuzaki demanded in a shrill voice, shrinking into the corner, practically shaking.

"Huh? But... but you - "

"Please, put them back on!"

She was confused. Why else would he have invited her into his bed? But she did as he said and quickly pulled her long sleeve t-shirt back on. She wished Kaitlyn was here to tell her what she'd done wrong.

Once she was fully dressed, she said quietly, "You can look now."

Slowly, Ryuzaki peeked through his fingers to make sure before lifting his hands from his face. He sighed in relief, pushing himself back up onto his feet. But then he groaned, rubbing his fingers against his temples and muttering to himself. After a few seconds of silence, he sighed again. His dark panda eyes bore into her green ones with a hint of sadness.

"You don't need to do those things anymore, ever again."

Her eyes widened, trying to decide whether he was telling the truth or not. Could it really be possible he was helping her just because he wanted to? With nothing in return?

In the weeks she had spent in this strange house, the only man she had come across was Watari. She had only seen him twice since her first interview with the computerized voice, and only for a few moments. Ryuzaki was the first human being she had contact with who seemed to actually reside in the house.

"If you'll promise to keep your clothes on throughout the night," Ryuzaki continued before she could say anything, "you may sleep in my bed."

Emma blinked back the tears that had begun to well in her eyes and nodded.

* * *

 _Present Day  
Summer 2009_

It had been a few months since Emma had packed her bags and left to see Near in the US. She had not given any notice of her departure to the task force. Matsuda had called her repeatedly, but she simply turned off her phone. She felt a guilty pang in her stomach as she walked down the hallway of the new building in which the Kira Task Force was now meeting. A few days prior, she had contacted Soichiro Yagami to inform him of her return. Although she had prepared herself for it, Emma couldn't help but feel the shame that came along with all of the lies she had to feed him in order to explain her sudden disappearance.

She braced herself for anger, confusion, and many questions. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Matusda. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed the doorknob -

"Emmy! Is it really you?"

She froze, her hand still outstretched in front of her. Matsuda had pulled the door open and was now standing in front of her, beaming.

"Uh - I saw you when you were coming up," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck nervously. His cheeks were pink.

Over his shoulder, Emma could see the rest of the Task Force: Aizawa, Mogi, Ide... and Light Yagami.

Her eyes narrowed as her eyes fell on his dark hair. He sat in front of a wall of computer screens, typing away furiously. Despite the rest of the Task Force members, who had all paused to look up at her sudden appearance, he did not avert his gaze from the screens.

 _You'll never be like him, no matter how hard you try._

"Are you okay, Emmy?"

She forced a small, apologetic smile in Matsuda's direction.

"I'm just so happy to see you all," she said quietly, studying Matsuda's face in attempt to read his emotions. It was not a difficult thing to do. Matsuda always wore his heart on his sleeve and let everyone know exactly how he was feeling. His expressions always gave him away. He did not seem at all upset about the fact that she'd disappeared for three months. Instead, his face was riddled with concern, and there was a hint of desperation in his eyes.

"So... uh... do you mind if we talk? In private?"

Emma nodded silently, ignoring the rest of the Task Force members, who, aside from Aizawa, were all gaping at them. Even Light had torn his eyes away from his work to catch a glimpse of the awkward exchange.

 _"Act as if everything is normal," Near explained as he carefully placed each of his action figures in a row in front of him._

 _"But..." Emma's voiced trailed off. She sat in front of him, legs crossed, biting her thumbnail. A habit she'd picked up from being around L so often. She hated it._

 _"Is there a problem?"_

 _"No, it's just... I've been gone for months."_

 _Near pushed one of the action figures, and it clattered onto the floor._

 _"That shouldn't prove too difficult to explain," he said, picking up the plastic robot and placing it back upright. "You can blame it on your relationship with Touta Matsuda."_

 _Emma bit her lip, shifting her eyes away from Near's amused expression._

 _"Are you truly surprised that I'm aware of this?"_

"Are you sure you're okay? You don't look okay."

Emma blinked, looking into Matsuda's kind brown eyes and smiling weakly. He had pulled her into one of the vacant rooms in the building. He knew Emma wasn't one to tell what she was thinking in front of anyone, especially the members of the Task Force. She blushed as she remembered the night she had returned to Japan after learning of L's death.

Before she could answer, Matsuda pulled her into an embrace, wrapping his hand around the back of her head and burying her face into his neck. She felt him let out a relieved sigh.

"I missed you," he whispered. "I was so worried about you."

She closed her eyes against the fabric of his jacket and bit her lip, not knowing how to respond to him. She was not expecting such a warm welcome from Matsuda after she'd left him alone for so many months. During the time they'd spent together, Emma had actually grown very fond of Matsuda. She wondered, had she stayed, where would they be now?

 _"Are you willing to do whatever it takes to catch Kira?"_

 _"Of course I am."_

 _Near finally looked up at her, all of the action figures spread out across the floor._

 _"We need to prove this new L is Kira," he continued. "I could use your help, if you are willing. Stay close to him. When I introduce myself to him, simply tell them you knew me as one of L's associates. Continue your relationship with Mr. Matsuda. You decided to return only because of him. That's not too far a stretch from the truth anyway, is it?_

 _We know who Kira is, but we have no proof. I have a plan that I believe will work in our favor, but I need to know you're willing to cooperate fully."_

Emma clung onto Matsuda's sleeves, peeking up at him with a sad smile. Leaning into him, she kissed his cheek softly, giggling as his face immediately turned bright red.

"I missed you, too, Matsu."


	4. Interrogation

**Author's Note:** I'm terribly sorry it's taken me so long to update! I honestly got a little stuck on where to start next. I have so many ideas for this, but I don't want to throw them all in at once.

I'm curious, does anyone want more romance between Matsuda and Emma? More time spent on the present day during the Kira Investigation? I'm focusing more on the past, since it is my original work, and you all know what happens in the present already. Let me know what you guys wanna read!

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

 _April, 1996_

When Emma woke up the next morning, Ryuzaki was nowhere to be found. He'd spent most of the night sitting at the desk beside the bed, the screen of his laptop casting a glow around him and the corner of the room. Emma found it comforting to know someone was so close, and she wasn't surrounded by total darkness.

However, when she opened her eyes and sensed his absence, she felt cold again.

"Ryuzaki?" she mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she twisted her body to look at the empty office chair. She lay flat on her back and sighed, finding herself wishing for his presence.

There was a knock on the door, and Watari stepped inside after a short pause. Emma pushed herself up from the bed, relieved to see a familiar face but also slightly disappointed it wasn't Ryuzaki.

"Good morning, Miss Emma."

"Good morning, Watari." She smiled weakly, pushing her messy hair out of her face and attempting to smooth it down, suddenly very aware of the fact she was somewhere other than in her own bed. "Um... Ryuzaki said it was okay for me to stay here - "

"It's quite all right, Miss Emma," Watari said with a smile, bowing his head slightly to assure her. "Ryuzaki informed me of the situation. He isn't here at the moment, but he should be back before the end of the day, if you wish to speak with him."

She merely nodded, feeling the color rising in her cheeks as she imagined Ryuzaki recounting the night's events to Watari.

"I do apologize for my intrusion, but L has requested to speak with you again," Watari added.

"Oh... okay."

Emma was not very fond of whoever L was. She had yet to actually see his face or even hear his real voice. She only knew him as a fancy letter on a white computer screen with the most unnerving scrambled voice she'd ever heard before. It always sent a shiver down her spine each time it spoke her name aloud. There were times Emma often wondered if L was even a real person. Even through the computer, she could feel the absence of emotion and indifference to the questions he was asking, no matter how detailed and personal they became. There were many questions she simply refused to answer.

After returning to her own bedroom and changing into her new favorite attire: a pair of black leggings and a grey sweatshirt, Emma followed Watari down the familiar set of stairs she knew led to L's interrogation room. She despised coming down here but never once complained. She refused to give L the satisfaction of knowing how much it affected her.

" _Good morning, Emory Jordyn_."

She shuddered at the sudden sound of the robotic voice that she wished she would never have to hear again after last week's conversations.

"Please don't call me that."

"Alright then _, Emma. How are you feeling today?_ "

That was odd. L never asked anything about her personal comfort or feelings. Emma scrunched up her nose, glancing over in Watari's direction in an attempt to read the older man's facial expressions, but they revealed nothing.

"I'm doing fine, thanks," she admitted. "How are you?"

" _I'm doing very good, actually,_ " it responded, " _thank you for asking. Do you remember what we discussed last Thursday, when you refused to answer my questions?_ "

Emma swallowed, feeling suddenly very small. She played with the hem of her shirt, twisting a loose thread around her finger.

" _Perhaps we can try discussing this again. I understand this is a very difficult topic for you, but it's quite important that we have all of the facts. I'll begin with an easier question - are you able to confirm the list of clients that regularly visited Klein Dolvetsky's establishment?_ "

Watari placed a clipboard on the table in front of her, the pages covered in names, numbers, and cities. Emma recognized a few of the names, their faces flashing across her vision. She felt her stomach begin to turn, and she focused on the laces of her black boots instead.

"I know a few of them..." she mumbled quietly.

" _Which ones?_ "

"W-Well, they really never let us know their full names," Emma stuttered, biting down on one of her nails nervously. "Mr. Charles... he was the one who visited the most. He would always request both me and Kaitlyn..."

" _And what would he do to you?_ "

"He was mostly interested in Kaitlyn." She kept her gaze fixated on her laces, feeling her skin begin to prickle as goosebumps appeared all over her arms. She had the feeling she was being watched by someone other than Watari, who stood in the corner with his head down.

" _But he did not physically touch you? Only Kaitlyn?_ "

"N-No, not really. He would... make me watch..." Emma bit her lip to keep the lump rising in the back of her throat away, cursing herself for being so easily unnerved.

" _What did you personally witness him do to - ?_ "

"Have you found anything out about Kaitlyn?" she demanded, looking right into the computer screen in front of her. She had the feeling that, even through the screen, this person could see her face. "I'm not answering any of your questions until you tell me where she is."

She heard a sigh come from the speaker.

" _I have been unable to locate your friend. It seems she has disappeared along with Mr. Klein Dolvetsky. If you assist me with finding him, I'm certain we will find Kaitlyn as well. Do you know her full name? Perhaps I can attempt to locate her family._ "

Emma shook her head.

"She never told me her name. She was just Kaitlyn. She was always there."

" _I see,_ " the voice hummed. " _That is unfortunate, but there are other matters you can assist me with. These men will not be punished to the fullest extent of the law unless everything is confirmed -_ "

"Well what if I can't confirm everything?" Emma demanded, shutting her eyes tightly and ignoring all of the memories that came flashing back in her mind's eye. "What if I don't want to?"

" _I cannot understand why you would not want to make sure these criminals are put behind bars for as long as possible,_ " L said, the deep voice revealing his confusion. " _I can help with that, but I need your testimony along with the other surviving children -_ "

"I don't want to talk to _you_ about it!" Emma snarled. Angry tears had replaced the lump in her throat, blurring her vision and making the computer screen appear to be a black and white blur. "I don't even know who you are or what you look like! You talk to me about these things like we're discussing the weather! And how do I know you're telling the truth about Kaitlyn? Aren't you supposed to be some genius detective? I think you're the worst detective! You can't even find one person!"

The computer remained silent. Watari began to step towards her but seemed to have thought better of it, replacing his hand behind his back and keeping his head low.

Emma pushed the clipboard of papers away from her to the other side of the table, wiping the hot tears off her face with the sleeve of her shirt. She was not yet finished.

"And what about Klein? You can't find him either! What if he kills Kaitlyn before you find them?"

" _I understand your concern for your friend, but I assure you, the FBI -_ "

"' - are looking for him as we speak.'" Emma parroted the same words L had spoken last week. His responses to everything were always so generic. Was this person even human?

" _Miss Jordyn, can you not simply set aside your feelings for once and focus on the important matter at hand?_ "

Watari finally broke his silence, raising a hand slightly to stop Emma from continuing to argue.

"L," he began, pausing to glance back and forth between the computer screen and Emma, "perhaps we should allow Miss Emma a little more time before forcing her to speak more on this terrible situation?"

" _Watari, there is no time -_ "

"I believe a bit of tea and sugar cookies sounds good. What do you think, Miss Emma?"

He winked in her direction with a small smile, and Emma could not help but return one meekly. She did not like acting out in front of Watari, after everything he had done for her. Even though L had been the one to make the decision of her remaining here, Watari had been the one to make her feel welcome and was there whenever she needed anything.

Once they returned upstairs, Watari turned to Emma with a smile. Was he not mad at her?

"Miss Emma, would you prefer to rest a bit more while I prepare the tea?" he asked gently, his eyes hidden by the glare of his glasses. "I shall bring it to you."

Emma nodded, still waiting to be chastised for her behavior. Was this her punishment? Was she being sent to her bedroom?

"Um... Watari?"

"Yes, Miss Emma?"

"When will Ryuzaki be back?"

He turned his head slightly to look in her direction, a his lips still curved upwards in a smile, as if he was expecting the question. Before walking off, he replied, "I'm afraid he won't return for a while, but you may wait in his room, if you'd like."

Emma blushed, wondering what was going through Watari's mind. Surely, he did not think...? No, that would be ridiculous.

She sighed, shaking her head and shuffling quietly into Ryuzaki's bedroom. The tall bed and dimly lit surroundings appeared even more inviting than they had the night before. The curtains had been drawn shut, a small sliver of sunlight barely peeking through the center. Kicking off her boots, she climbed onto the bed and curled up against the blue and white pillows.

* * *

 _Present Day  
October 2009_

"Light Yagami _is_ Kira."

"Did he confess this to you?"

"Well, no, but - "

"Do you have any evidence to support our theory?"

"No, but - "

"Well, Em, it seems we've made no progress since our last discussion."

Emma groaned in frustration, kicking the coffee table in front of her with the toe of her brown boot. She held the phone away from her ear for a few moments, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before responding to the robotic voice on the other line.

"I just don't understand what the point of my being here is," she demanded.

"What's the matter? Are things not working out between you and Mr. Matsuda?"

"Oh, shut up," she snapped, rolling her eyes at Near's snide remark. "You know that's not it."

"Could it be... perhaps you feel you're betraying L by being with someone else," Near continued, as if he was taunting her. "Wasn't L the one who insisted on the relationship?"

Emma bit her lip, resisting the urge to throw the cell phone across the room. She hated the way Near could be just like L sometimes. Even without the scrambled voice, the tone was almost a perfect match.

Before she could retort back, she heard a door creak open. She quickly snapped the cell phone shut, relieved to have an excuse to hang up on Near and avoid continuing the conversation. They had been secretly contacting each other by phone or email, and Emma had so far been successful in avoiding any questions by the Task Force. However, soon Near would be in contact with the Task Force, and Emma would have to convince them she had nothing to do with this new player.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone would be here so early."

Emma did not have to turn her head to recognize Light's excessively polite voice as he entered the Task Force's new headquarters. However, she paused for a moment to ponder the horrifying thought of him having overheard any part of her conversation with Near.

"What brings you here so early?"

"I thought I'd get a head start today," Light replied casually, stepping out of his shoes and leaving them beside the door. "I apologize, if I had known you'd be here, I would've brought more coffee."

Emma narrowed her eyes at him.

"It's fine, thank you," she said, forcing a smile. It made her sick to her stomach, having to act as if she was clueless to who he really was. On the outside, he looked like a successful college graduate; a young man whose father would have been proud of who he had become. She had seen the way other women looked at him, and she noticed the way Misa Amane's eyes glazed over when he was near. Emma felt a shiver crawl up her spine any time she heard his voice.

"Hey, Emma?"

"Yes?"

"I never really got the chance to speak to you after... well, you know, after what happened," Light began, setting his coffee cup down on the desk and taking his place in front of the mounted television screens. "I could tell you were very close, and I was hoping one day you two would agree to go on a double date with Misa and I - well, one that didn't involve surveillance cameras."

Emma felt her blood boiling, but she could not gather the strength to speak. It took every ounce of self control she had in her body not to jump across the table in front of her and attack him. She let herself fantasize the idea of it, wrapping her hands around his neck and daring him to kill her using the Death Note. After all, would dying really be so bad? She could finally be free of this never ending game -

"Good morning!"

Matsuda's cheery voice filled the room, breaking the silence that had fallen between Light and Emma. The tension in the room was thick enough to cut through with a knife, but Matsuda was oblivious to it all. He walked in carrying two plastic cups of coffee, smiling brightly as he saw Emma.

"I knew you'd be here early," he said, reaching out to hand her one of the cups. "Black with extra sugar, just how you like it. Uh - you still take your coffee black, right?"

Emma nodded, the anger previously rising inside of her starting to settle back down at the sound of Matsuda's voice. She took the coffee from his hand and took a careful sip, craving the mass amount of sugar. She knew she could trust Matsuda to put enough sugar.

"I guess we can take it easy while we wait for everyone else to get here, huh?" Matsuda slid down on the couch beside Emma, and she noticed the gap between them had been smaller than yesterday's.

"Actually, I'm going to go ahead and start reviewing some of the recorded interviews we have of Kira's supporters," Light said, leaning back in his chair as he waited for the screens to load. "Why don't you two spend some time together? I can't imagine how Misa would feel if we'd spent months apart."

Emma glared at him, but Matsuda beamed.

 _What is it, Light? Do you want to watch your followers praise you alone, so you can bask in your own glory? Are you looking for someone to use as another pawn to throw off the Task Force?_

Matsuda's outstretched hand pulled her from her thoughts, and she blinked up at him blankly.

"Come on," he said, the eager smile on his face causing her heart to break slightly. "Let's go for a walk."

* * *

 _April, 1996_

Emma opened her eyes slowly as she heard a clattering sound towards the end of the bed. She moaned softly before pushing herself up on her elbows to find the source of the noise, but she could barely see in the dark room. The sun was no longer visible. How long had she been asleep?

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

She perked up at the familiar voice, a small yawn escaping her lips before she could say anything.

Ryuzaki stood awkwardly beside the bed, placing what appeared to be a silver tray on the corner. Squinting her eyes as they adjusted to the darkness, Emma could make out a tea cup and a plate full of sugar cookies - well, more like a mountain of sugar cookies.

"It's okay," she whispered, grateful for the lack of lighting in the room as she felt her face begin to burn. He was probably wondering what she was doing sleeping in his bedroom in the middle of the day.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. I was expecting you to be in here," he said, crawling onto the bed, careful not to spill the contents of the tray. He sat perched on the edge, bringing his knees up to his chest and staring at her blankly. "I heard you had a difficult morning."

"Uh-huh." Emma nodded, examining the pattern on the comforter.

"But you didn't wake up screaming."

She shook her head silently.

"Does that mean... everything is all right now?"

"Huh?" She raised her eyes back up to meet his black saucers, her nose scrunching up in confusion. "Well - I suppose - I guess..." she sighed. "Everyone keeps expecting me to answer all of these questions, but I don't know what to say. I just wish Kaitlyn was here, she'd know what to do. He keeps promising he'll look for her, but I think he's lying."

Her voice broke at the end of her sentence, and Ryuzaki recoiled slightly.

"Who promised you?"

" _L._ " She spat the letter out as if it were a dirty word. "I hate him."

"Here," he said, stretching his hand out to hand her a cookie, "this will help."

Emma hesitated but took the cookie from his hand after a few moments, examining the layer of sparkling sugar as if it were something alien to her. She carefully took a small bite before her face crumpled.

Ryuzaki nearly fell off the edge of the bed, his eyes widening as he realized the girl was crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked, a hint of panic showing in his eyes. "Do you not like sugar cookies? I have chocolate chip, peanut butter, coffee flavored - "

"N-No," she whimpered, "that's not it. I do like sugar cookies. I just - I just want to go home."

"Eh? Home?" Ryuzaki looked confused. "Where is that for you?"

"I - I don't know!" Emma wailed, realizing she had no place to go home to. "Wherever Kaitlyn is - that's where. She always knows what to do and what to say."

"Er... why don't you tell me about her? Why is she so important to you?"

"B-Because she would protect me." She wiped at her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt, reaching back for one of the pillows behind her and wrapping herself around it. "She never let anything bad happen to me. She would sneak into my room at night, because she knew I would have nightmares."

"Well... I can make sure you don't have nightmares while I'm here," Ryuzaki said slowly, wincing as he did.

"It's not the same." Emma sniffled, burying her face in the pillow. She felt a slight shift on the bed, and suddenly there was a hand on her head, patting her gently. She peeked up from the pillow to see Ryuzaki's arm reaching above her as far as it could stretch while keeping as much distance between them as possible. She could see the slight panic in his wide eyes, and she let out a half-sob, half-giggle.

"Did I do something wrong?"

He immediately pulled his hand away, but Emma let the pillow fall from her arms and crawled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her forehead on his shoulder. She felt him stiffen, even start shaking slightly. He did not return the embrace, but he did not push her away. It was as if he was too shocked to do anything at all.

Tightening her grip on him, she started to cry again.

Ryuzaki raised his hands as if to surrender, an anxious sound coming from the back of his throat as he desperately thought of what to do. Eventually, her whimpering quieted down, but he wasn't sure what he had done to soothe her.

Sighing in defeat, he looked down at the top of her head and frowned.

"I'm no good with girls."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I tried to make this chapter longer to get through as much as possible. Tell me what you guys think and what you want to read more of!


	5. Matsuda

**Author's Note:** I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update! I planned on updating over the weekend, but I live in South Florida. Luckily, the area I live in only got the outer bands of Irma, but we lost power and internet access for days. I'm finally back now!

Just a little warning, this chapter might be kinda depressing. I'm watching Death Note again for some inspiration, and I got to L's death ): Also, I wanted to show a little more of Matsuda and Emma's relationship and how it came to be.

* * *

 _Present Day  
October 2009_

"Hey, Em - ?"

It had begun to rain. She could feel tiny droplets of water landing on top of her head.

"Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Where is he?"

The cemetery was larger than she'd pictured. She wasn't exactly sure of what she'd been expecting, but she imagined it would be smaller. In her head, she could only imagine a single unmarked grave. At first, she was taken by surprise at how many gravestones surrounded them.

She had practically jumped out of the car before Matsuda could even turn the ignition off. He called out to her, but she had already sprinted to the cemetery gates. She thought she could find the grave herself, as if she would somehow be able to sense him. However, she froze as soon as she reached the point where the gravel changed. She stood right before the line where the parking lot ended and the cobblestone path began. She stared down the path, suddenly aware of how far it disappeared into the graves.

Matsuda caught up to her, panting with his hands on his knees.

"Where is he?"

Her voice was barely a whisper, and Matsuda bit his lip. He knew this was a bad idea. Why did he agree to bring her here?

She seemed to shrink in size next to him, shivering as the wind began to pick up. He quickly removed his jacket and slipped it around her shoulders, sighing as he took hold of her hand and followed her gaze down the path. The last thing he wanted to do was show Emma Ryuzaki's lonely, unmarked grave.

"Come on, I'll show you."

* * *

June 2004

"Uh - here you go, Miss Emma."

"Huh? Oh - thank you, Mr. Matsuda." Emma bowed her head slightly as she accepted the cup of coffee from the nervous looking man. "You know... you don't have to call me 'Miss Emma.' It's quite unnecessary. Besides, we've been working long enough, haven't we? There's no need for formalities anymore."

"Oh! Of course." Matsuda chuckled hesitantly, a visible blush appearing across his cheeks. "In that case, you can call me Matsu - or whatever you'd like!"

There was a short pause in which the only sounds that could be heard were the loud splurping noises Ryuzaki was making as he finished his cup of coffee. Well, if you could call it that - it was more like a cup full of sludge made up of mostly coffee-flavored sugar.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt," Ryuzaki spoke suddenly, his words slightly muffled as he sucked sugar off his fingertips, "but would you mind getting me another cup of coffee, _Mr._ Matsuda?"

Emma sighed as she placed her cup next to Ryuzaki's empty one before settling into the chair she'd pulled up beside him.

"You don't have to be so rude, you know?" she chided him, folding her arms across her chest and casting him a dark look. She brought the cup to her lips, preparing herself for the lack of sugar. "There's no doubt he's in the wrong line of work, but he's very sweet."

"Why don't you go out with him?"

Emma coughed loudly. She noticed there was indeed a large amount of sugar in her coffee, but that was lost on her as she realized what Ryuzaki had just asked her.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, practically slamming the cup back down onto the table.

"Oh, come on." Ryuzaki rolled his eyes, dragging a finger along the rim of his cup, picking up any remaining traces of sugar. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed the looks he gives you. If you haven't, perhaps I haven't taught you as much as I'd like to think - "

"I _have_ noticed," Emma said through gritted teeth.

"Well, then, what's the problem?"

She stared at him, waiting patiently as he continued to suck his fingertips until he finally turned his gaze towards her. His big panda eyes bore into her green ones, which were flashing with anger.

"You know exactly what the problem is," Emma said, after realizing he was still waiting on an answer.

He sighed sadly, his eyes turning back to the screens in front of him. On each screen was a different horror to behold: To the right, Light Yagami sat quietly, still complying with his voluntary confinement. To the left, Misa Amane's pleading had be silenced. Higher up, Soichirou Yagami sat quietly, not much unlike his son.

"Emmy..." He finally spoke, his grey eyes clouding over slightly with a sadness that was not unfamiliar to Emma. She knew exactly what he was about to say.

"Don't," she whispered.

"I just think you consider the possibility of having a normal relationship with someone - "

"Shut up."

"You could even be married someday and have children."

"I said - "

"I'm simply not capable of returning any feelings of affection, not the way you - "

 _"I told you shut up!"_

There was a loud thump at the door, causing both Emma and Ryuzaki to jump and turn to look at the source of the noise.

Matsuda's face was bright red, the horror of having interrupted a serious conversation between the two detectives written across his expression. His hands were practically shaking as he placed the cup of coffee he'd brought for Ryuzaki on the cart of sweets that stood next to the door.

"S-Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean - I'm sure you're both busy."

"Oh, no, Matsuda, it's quite alright," Ryuzaki said, without skipping a beat. "Emma was just telling me she needed assistance matching up the time and deaths of the criminals I gave her. Would you mind - ?"

"Actually, I don't need any - "

"I don't mind at all!" Matsuda beamed.

Emma cursed L as she found herself kneeling in front the papers she'd scattered across the floor. She hated it when L brought up her lack of a love life. Deep down, she knew she could never have what she wanted. She just didn't understand why it had to be an issue. She was perfectly happy with the way things were between her and L - a relationship that fell somewhere in the realm of "more than friends" but never more than partners. She couldn't even begin to imagine being as close to another man as she was with L. Was it even possible?

"So, uh... is the coffee okay? I could put more sugar in it for you if you want."

Emma looked up at the sound of Matsuda's voice and saw that he had crouched down beside her, keeping a safe distance between them. She bit her lip to keep herself from giggling at the sight of his face, which was still glowing pink.

"Actually... it's almost perfect."

* * *

 _Present Day_

She wasn't quite sure what she'd expected. She knew it would have to have been an unmarked grave. She knew the funeral had been done in secret. However, nothing could have prepared her for the feeling that fell over her as soon as her eyes landed on the lone white cross that stood before L's grave.

Suddenly, she was back in Roger's office, tumbling down into the darkness as the floor disappeared beneath her.

This time, however, as her knees began to tremble and weaken, she felt an arm wrap around her. She froze. This sense of comfort was still completely alien to her. There was no resistance or awkward movements - for the first time, Emma was the one unsure of what to do.

"There's no name," she said, immediately feeling stupid for saying it.

"No, there isn't," Matsuda muttered, looking down at the grass, feeling slightly ashamed for some reason.

"He would hate it."

"Huh?"

"The cross - he would hate it," Emma said, her eyes filling with tears. "He didn't believe in silly things like an afterlife or gods. But then... maybe he changed his mind once he saw the Shinigami. Do you think he did?"

She turned to face him, unable to make out his face through her tears.

"... I never really thought about that."

"Do you think he was scared when...?" Her eyes widened, the tears spilling down her cheeks. She grabbed Matsuda's shirt tightly, as if she wanted to shake him until he answered her questions. "Did he know it was going to happen? Was he - Was he in pain?"

"No, I don't think - "

"Please don't lie to me, Matsuda!"

Her knees finally gave in; she let go of Matsuda's shirt as she slid towards the ground, her words turning into whimpering pleas. She could barely feel Matsuda's arms wrap tightly around her, stopping her from hitting the ground. Instead, he pulled her onto his lap as he kneeled down on the hard ground. His chest began to ache as he felt her body trembling against his.

"I'm - I'm - I'm sorry, Matsu," she squeaked in between sobs, barely able to catch her breath.

"Shh, it's okay." He stroked her hair, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Let's get out of here, okay?"

"I - I can't - I can't breathe."

She couldn't stop shaking.

"It's okay, I've got you."

 _"Matsuda."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Please be kind to Emma. She's been through quite a lot... much more than anyone should have to endure in one lifetime."_

 _"Uh - I - of course I'll be kind to her!"_

 _"Don't be so surprised, Matsuda. I notice everything. I'm not against the idea of you two being together at all. Actually, I find you to be the most suitable person for her."_

 _"Really?" Matsuda's face lit up. "Gee, thanks, Ryuzaki... but..."_

 _"I know what you're about to say." Ryuzaki sighed. "Her feelings for me will eventually fade. Just promise me you'll be there for her when she needs it. More than likely, I won't be around much longer."_

 _"What do you mean, Ryuzaki? Of course you will - "_

 _"Matsuda..." Ryuzaki groaned, rolling his eyes. "I know you're more than capable of this - surely, more capable than I could ever be. I just need you to be sure you're willing."_

 _"O-Of course, Ryuzaki!"_

Matsuda sighed heavily as he sank into his recliner, burying his face in his hands. He would soon have to call someone from the Task Force and let them know of his and Emma's absence. He didn't think Emma would want to return there after today's events, and he definitely did not want to leave her alone in his apartment. What if she had another panic attack? What was he supposed to do? Had he done the right thing in bringing her here? Should he have taken her to a hospital?

She had breathlessly told him something about emergency pills when he mentioned taking her to a doctor, but she did not try to reach for her bag. When they arrived at his apartment, Matsuda decided to look for them himself. This wasn't the first time he'd been told of these pills.

After helping her take a few sips of water, he tried to give her some space. Every time he reached for her, she shrunk away from his touch. He'd left her curled up in his bed; a slight warmth rose in his cheeks as he realized she was probably sleeping in his bed.

However, a small noise let him know otherwise, and he quickly made his way back to his room, not even thinking it through.

His eyes widened as he took in the sight of Emma sitting up in his bed, wrapped up in his blanket. Her face was bright red, her eyes bleary. But to him, she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He desperately wanted to go to her, but he stopped himself. He was just relieved to finally see that she had stopped shaking.

"Are you... okay?"

She hesitated for a moment before mumbling, "Matsu... could you... lay with me for a while?"

"Huh?" Matsuda's face turned beet red. "I - uh - yeah, sure I will."

* * *

 **Author's Note : **So obviously I was in the mood for lots of fluff and comfort. I tried to keep things not to serious. I've been having a bit of writers' block, and I didn't want to mess up the main plot of the story, so I decided to stick with something a little less involved with it.

Would anyone like to know more about L's conversations with Matsuda about Emma?


	6. Confrontation

**Author's Note:** So I noticed I made a mistake back in "Night Terrors", when I mentioned Emma going through the security checks in the new Kira Task Force. They're not still in the building L built for the Kira Investigation; they are in the apartment building that Light rents as "his apartment" in order to use it at the new headquarters. My apologies for any confusion. Just to make it clear - in present time, we are somewhere around the time when Near first contacts the Task Force, not long before Mello decides to kidnap Sayu Yagami.

I've changed the "Present Day" to October of 2009.

* * *

Chapter Five

"Hey, Kaitlyn?"

"Hmm?"

"You think we'll ever get to leave this place?"

Kaitlyn pushed herself up, leaning on her shoulders as she looked down at the younger girl laying beside her. Emma had managed to sneak out of her bedroom in the middle of the night and break into the closet in which Klein had thrown her into earlier in the night. She had managed to stumble across his laptop, which he'd miraculously left unattended in the main living room. Without even thinking, Kaitlyn opened it and began attempting to hack into it. Of course, only a few minutes passed before he walked in.

None of the children had access to internet or a phone, of course. As soon as a client entered the building, they were required to give their phones and any other electronic devices to the security guard. It was "for the privacy and safety of the Vixxeys," as Klein said.

Vixxeys - that was the word Klein used when referring to his "young entertainment." He would kindly ask his clients to refrain from using derogatory words when referring to his business, such as "prostitutes" or "underage children." In addition to this rule, the children were forbidden to ever disclose their ages, to avoid the chance of causing discomfort to the clients.

"Kaitlyn?"

Emma sighed, knowing what was going through her friend's mind. Rolling onto her side, she said, "You should've known you were gonna get caught. Klein never leaves his laptop laying around."

"I had to try!" Kaitlyn glared down at her. "If I could've just had five more minutes... I could've broken in. I could've gotten a message out - "

"A message? To who?"

"The police? The FBI? I wouldn't be surprised if they already know about this place."

"You really think so?" Emma looked hopeful for a moment, then frowned. "But... if that's the case, then they know about us. They know what's happening to all these kids... and they're just - they haven't done anything about it?"

"Don't be stupid, Emma. They can't just barge in here and arrest everyone. They have to gather enough evidence to put Klein away for good. It's not the best situation, but you have to think about what will happen if they move too quickly. Klein has so much money, and he's probably got the police in his pocket. There's no way he could run a business like this without the help of - "

 _"Emma? Are you alright?"_

"Huh? Oh... I'm sorry."

She stared blankly at the screen in front of her.

 _June, 1996_

Once again, Emma was sitting in what she had begun to call The Interrogation Room. It was completely empty, save for the plain wooden table in the center of the room on which the same laptop always remained, its screen showing only an Old English style _L_ in the center. As usual, Watari stood in the corner, his hands behind his back. A few minutes prior, he had spread a few papers in between Emma and the computer; L asked her to review these documents.

 _"This is a list of all the children who have been accounted for,"_ L's computerized voice explained.

"I don't see Kaitlyn's name."

 _"Unfortunately, we have been unable to locate her."_

Emma rolled her eyes. She'd heard this before quite a few times.

 _"We are not giving up. In fact, I'm quite confident that she is most likely with Klein Dolvetsky. That's why I need your help."_

"I already told you, I don't - "

 _"Watari will give you a file, and inside of it, you will find more lists of names and locations, along with some photographs. I want you to review these items and identify whatever or whoever you can. You don't have to remember anything now - take them to your room and look them over."_

Emma glanced back down at the names and faces written on the papers spread out in front of her. One of the names stuck out, and she immediately recognized the small, blonde-haired girl looking back at her. Although the picture was black and white, Emma could almost see her clear blue eyes.

 _Leanna Smith._

 _"Shh, please don't cry. You'll get in trouble if they hear you."_

 _"Trust me, you don't want Mr. Klein coming in here."_

 _"I don't care! I want my mom!"_

 _"Kaitlyn, do something."_

 _The older girl crouched down so that she was eye level with their new companion, a hardened expression on her face._

 _"Shut up. This is your life now, so get used to it and stop whining."_

Later that night, Emma flipped through the pages of the files L had given her. She saw dozens of familiar faces printed on each page, each accompanied by a name - some names she already knew, while others she did not recognize. This wasn't a surprise to her. Surely, most of the men who visited Klein's establishment used aliases.

 _Charles Bowman_

There was a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she studied the fat face pictured above the name. There was no mistaking it, this was the same Charles that constantly requested Emma and Kaitlyn. Out of all the men, he was the worst.

"Are you alright?"

Ryuzaki sat crouched in his usual spot, tending to his own stack of papers at his desk. Beside him was a cart full of sweets that could probably satisfy a small dinner party, but he'd already made his way through half of them: There were cupcakes, each topped with a different color frosting, chocolate fudge brownies with chocolate chips melted inside, a large sundae complete with whipped cream and cherries, and - Emma's favorites, of course - a plate full of sugar cookies.

"I'm fine," she replied, "I just wish L wasn't so incompetent."

"Incompetent?"

"It's been months, and he _still_ hasn't been able to find Klein or Kaitlyn."

"Well... I really think you're being a bit too harsh..."

"No, he's an idiot."

"An idiot?"

"I just hate him." She folded her arms across her chest and glared down at the floor angrily. "Do you think he's even a real person? He's gotta be the worst detective I've ever met."

"How many detectives have you - ?"

"Hey!" she said suddenly, nearly causing Ryuzaki to drop his cupcake. "You don't know L, do you?"

He stared at her blankly.

"Actually... yes, I do," he said, pushing his thumb under his lip. "He's not so bad, once you get to know him."

"You mean, you've actually seen him in person?"

"Yes."

"You've talked to him face to face?"

"... yes."

For a few moments, the only sounds that could be heard in the room was Ryuzaki's nail biting, which was growing louder and more frequent as Emma glared at him accusingly.

"I guess I'm not important enough to meet the famous L," she decided.

"Maybe he just doesn't trust you enough," Ryuzaki said as he began to work on devouring another cupcake.

"Well, that's fine," Emma huffed, "because I definitely don't trust him."

"Do you trust _me_?"

"I... well..." Her words got caught in her throat, and the warmth began to rise in her face. "I guess I... kind of trust you."

"Well, then, trust me when I tell you that L is working as hard as he can to help you." Ryuzaki stared intensely into Emma's eyes, and she felt as if he could see right through her. "I know he'll find your friend, and I know he'll keep you safe from this man."

"I - I'm not worried about Klein!" Emma turned away from his gaze, feeling the blush spreading across her cheeks.

"It's okay to be afraid. He committed unspeakable crimes."

"But I'm not afraid."

"Well, if you're not afraid... then why are you so hesitant on testifying or recounting anything to the investigators?"

"I'm _not._ "

"Alright, then."

Ryuzaki climbed out of his chair and pulled himself up onto the bed, grabbing a small tape recorder and placing it between them. He brought his knees up to his chest and stuck his thumb back in his mouth, his round saucer eyes practically burning through her again.

"If you're not afraid... tell me everything."

* * *

Present Day  
October 2009

Emma awoke in a tangled mess of sheets and limbs. Careful not to disturb Matsuda, who was sleeping peacefully beside her, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She looked down to see one of his arms had fallen off the side and gently picked it up. Biting back a smile, she brushed his bangs out of his eyes before rising off the bed and walking out into the living room, closing the door quietly behind her.

From across the room, she could see a digital clock that read 2:05. Had that much time really passed by already? She wondered if Matsuda had contacted any of the Task Force members before falling asleep.

 _How embarrassing_ , she thought, her eyes widening as she imagined the conversation. She made her way into the kitchen and felt around for the light switch. What if Matsuda told them what happened? No, he wouldn't -

A hand slapped itself firmly over her mouth, muffling the gasp that'd begun to form as she felt the arm that had wrapped itself tightly around her waist, pulling her back against a bony chest.

What was happening?

She tried to throw her head backwards, hoping to hit her attacker as hard as she could; but before she could do anything, she felt the unmistakable cool metal of a gun's barrel push up against her temple.

Emma froze, stopping any attempts to fight back. A stifled whimper escaped from behind the hand, and she prayed for Matsuda to have heard something, or...

Was there only one person in the apartment?

"Calm down. I'm not gonna hurt you."

What? This voice -

"Mm-woh?"

"I'm gonna let you go... but don't make any noise."

Her heart was racing, but she let out a sigh of relief as she felt the gun being pulled away from her head - however, her fear was quickly replaced by anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she hissed.

Her attacker stood before her, his face partially covered by a dark hood; but even then, Emma could see the familiar blonde locks peeking out from underneath.

Without saying a word, Mello reached into his pocket and pulled out a chocolate bar, unwrapping it and -

 _\- snap -_

"I'm sorry if I scared you," he said quietly, pushing back the hood of his jacket and revealing his face, his brown eyes showing an even greater hardness than she had ever before seen in them.

Emma didn't know what to say.

"I couldn't risk you screaming if you saw me," Mello continued.

The gun that only moments ago had been pushed up against her temple was still in his hand, pointed in her direction. Wordlessly, she looked down at the gun and back up at Mello, her gaze switching back and forth for a few moments before she finally decided to keep it on him.

"I gotta say, I was pretty surprised to find you in bed with the guy," he said, smirking as his eyes flicked over towards the bedroom door, where Matsuda still slept.

"I can't believe it's really you," Emma whispered, her eyes suddenly filling with tears as the scene in front of her began to process in her mind. "You look... so different. Where have you been?"

"Around."

 _\- snap -_

"Mello... what are you doing? Why do you have a gun?"

"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you." Mello rolled his eyes, lowering the gun slightly. "I want you to come work with me."

 _\- snap -_

Emma stared at him, unable to form words for a moment. _Work with him?_

"Work - ? What?" she stuttered, her body still feeling the shock of what had just happened.

And then it dawned on her:

"You want me to work with you instead of Near."

He didn't respond. Instead, he took another bite and waited for her to continue. The tense silence between them was so thick, the sound of the chocolate breaking was deafening - Emma began to worry it would wake Matsuda before their voices could. She lowered her eyes, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Listen... Mello... I'm sorry... but I won't pick sides."

 _"Tch."_

The disgusted look on Mello's face was enough to cause Emma's tears to finally spill over.

"I should've known you'd pick Near," he said. "Near always came first, even to you."

 _\- snap -_

"You know that's not - "

"Just save it, okay?" Mello pulled the hood back over his head, but his piercing eyes were still visible from beneath his bangs. He began to walk towards the sliding door leading to the balcony, which until now Emma had not noticed was wide open the entire time. "You've made your choice, and I'll respect that."

He raised the gun back up in her direction as she began to step towards him. She immediately backed into the wall, unsure of what he would do.

"Don't try to follow me," he warned.

"Mello... please don't go."

It was the very same words she'd said to him years ago, the last time she saw him. Once again, he walked away from her.

"There's nothing else for us to talk about. I don't need your help anyway."

And before Emma could say anything else, he was gone. Just like that.

 _Mello..._

Her chest felt tight, and she slid slowly down the wall. She wrapped her arms around her legs and buried her head in her arms, stifling her frustrated scream. She hadn't even gotten the chance to tell him she loved him - not that he would've cared, but it would've been nice to see the look on his face.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Next chapter might be a flashback on Mello. What do you guys think?


	7. Hope

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry for the long wait on this chapter! I'm going to try and cover a lot of things in this chapter. Hopefully it won't be too much of a mess.

* * *

 _June 2004_

"Do you remember Kaitlyn?"

Emma stiffened. The spoon she had been using to stir her tea slipped from her fingers, clattering loudly against the cup and falling onto the table. L's usually soothing voice had suddenly gone deeper, the curiosity shining in his grey eyes as they rolled up towards the ceiling. He sat backwards in his chair to face Emma's back, both knees drawn to his chest. His thumb was in his mouth.

"Why?"

"I have a theory, but I believe there's only a two-percent chance I might be right."

"Well, then it's probably not worth mentioning."

"You know that's not true."

She continued stirring her cup of tea loudly, pretending she hadn't heard him. L began to open his mouth and continue, but a sheepish Matsuda peeked into the room, Aizawa in tow.

"Ryuzaki." Aizawa had his arms crossed, glaring down at L, whose eyes moved slowly from the back of Emma's head and met the taller man's gaze. "Why are you still detaining Light? It's been days since criminals started dying again."

"Yeah Ryuzaki," Matsuda joined in, casting a quick glance in Emma's direction. His cheeks were slightly pink. "You should tell Light the truth."

"Please control yourselves," L said quietly. "There's a possibility Light planned for this to happen."

"Huh?" Matsuda raised his eyebrows, exchanging glances with Aizawa. "But... how?"

L did not answer. He lifted his body up and swung himself around to face the opposite direction. He bit down on the edge of his fingernail, his wide eyes gleaming with the reflections of the screens in front of him.

"Do you have any proof of this?" Aizawa demanded.

"No," L admitted, popping a chocolate square in his mouth. "I'm probably wrong... but I need to be sure."

"This is crazy!"

"You know, it wouldn't be so bad if you would have some trust in me." L cast a backwards glance in the direction of the two police officers, who looked back at him blankly. The angry expressions on their faces had been replaced with what appeared to be confusion mixed in with a twinge of guilt.

Emma reached out to touch Matsuda's arm, but something stopped her. Instead, she spoke quietly: "I can assure you both that Ryuzaki has a good reason for not wanting to release Light. If he thinks it's for the best, then it is for the best. Whether Light is Kira or not... at least we'll know for certain."

The heat rose in Matsuda's face, and he quickly looked down to avoid her eyes. Aizawa, however, threw a dark look in her direction.

"You don't have a problem with this either then?" he said firmly. "I suppose you would be used to the way he does things. Well, this is illegal, and we're wasting time."

Before anyone could say anything further, he stormed out of the room. Matsuda stood frozen, unsure if he should follow suit.

"I appreciate you standing up for me, but it's pointless." L spoke without looking away from the screen in the upper right corner; it showed the worried expression on Light Yagami's face. The drastic change in his personality had caused L to become even more confused, with which also came frustration. "Mr. Aizawa and Mr. Matsuda do not need to understand my reasoning. I just need them to continue following the killings of criminals."

Emma's eyebrows rose, then furrowed in anger. She clenched her fists and started to retort back to him, but she felt a hand close around her knuckles.

Blinking, she turned her head to see Matsuda standing in front of her.

"Come on, Emma," he said, gently tugging her hand towards him. "Let's leave Ryuzaki alone."

* * *

 _October 2009_

Emma nearly jumped at the touch of Matsuda's hand on her shoulder, which he immediately removed. Instead, he lowered himself so that he could speak softly into her ear.

"Are you feeling better?"

After the encounter she'd had with Mello, Emma did not wake Matsuda. Instead, she sat on the edge of his bed for a few seconds and ran a hand through his hair. She'd ignored his phone calls for two days, deciding to take a short break from returning to the Task Force. She knew she couldn't tell him about Mello, but she did not want to lie to him.

Avoiding his gaze, she nodded her head silently. Her dark bangs covered her eyes, but through them she was able to see the hurt flash across his eyes. She bit her lip and looked away, gripping the cup of coffee in her hand with a shaky hand. Standing in front of her was Soichiro Yagami, who was bringing her up to speed on the events that had transpired in the last twenty-four hours.

The Deputy Director of the NPA had been abducted.

The kidnappers wanted the notebook in exchange for the director's freedom.

The FBI had offered assistance in recovering the director.

Her heat thudded loudly against her chest, her eyes wide as the realization of the situation washed over her.

 _Is this you, Mello?_

Emma hadn't planned on telling Near about Mello's visit, but he'd given her no choice. It was likely that Near already suspected Mello as the culprit. But Mello didn't even mention the notebook while he was in Matsuda's apartment.

"There are still no clues about the director or the kidnappers," Aizawa added as Matsuda walked over to sit beside him, his shoulders slumped. "Aside from that... why haven't they said anything since they kidnapped him?"

Soichiro turned to his son, who was typing furiously on his computer. "Light, there's no mistake that the real name of the FBI agent who calls himself John MacEnrow is really Larry Conners."

 _There's no doubt this is one of the agents working with Near_ , Emma thought to herself as she glanced over at the picture Soichiro was showing Light. Near did not mention this part of the plan to her. He must be improvising.

"He's a real agent..." Soichiro continued thoughtfully, bringing a hand up to his chin. "The director of the FBI also said that he would help us rescue Director Takimura. I think we can trust him."

Emma kept her eyes trained on Light Yagami, who appeared to be in deep thought. What could he be thinking? If he is Kira - No, he _is_ Kira - he must be aware of it. This sudden turn of events must surely have him in a panic. The last thing he would want to do is give up the notebook, but does he have a choice? If he becomes too protective over the notebook, it would look bad.

However, it would only be natural for him to want to prevent the notebook from falling into the wrong hands.

What will you do, Light?

"Dad..." Light turned to his father, then towards the rest of the room, "No, everyone here should be careful. The director may not know about the notebook, but he knows who was working with L. If that gets out, there's a chance that they'll come after us - "

A shrill voice drowned out the end of his sentence.

"Liiiight!"

Everyone in the room turned to see Misa Amane at the top of the stairs, scantily clad in a pink night dress. Emma's jaw dropped.

"I'll be a good girl tonight and go to sleep alone, okay?"

All four members of the Task Force sitting on the sofas in the center of the room were gaping at her, their cheeks bright red and eyes wide in disbelief. Emma glared down at Matsuda, but he did not notice. Aizawa was staring right alongside him.

 _You, too, Aizawa?_

"Yeah, good night," Light responded with not so much as a glance in her direction.

Emma lightly pushed Matsuda's shoulder to get his attention away from the half-naked girl, who was now skipping back down the stairs. As soon as he tore his eyes away from the door, he chucked nervously, his face still beat red.

"Sorry, sorry," he said in a hushed voice, waving his hands in front of him in defeat.

She was about to say something, but Light suddenly gasped.

"We're not the only ones in danger. Our families and - "

Emma narrowed her eyes. _Is this your plan?_

As if on cue, Soichiro's phone began to ring. When he flipped it open, a horrified expression crossed his face.

"The director's cell phone... It's from the kidnappers! Aizawa!"

Immediately, Aizawa and Matsuda grabbed the headphones sitting on the coffee table in front of them and placed them over their ears, followed by Mogi and Ide. They began to trace the call as Soichiro stood and answered.

"This is Yagami."

* * *

"Mello? Are you in here?"

"Leave me alone."

"Come on," Emma pleaded, slipping into the room and shutting the door behind her. "It's just me."

 _December 2002_

A loud groan came from behind the desk in the center of the room. Crouched beside it and slowly tearing up a piece of paper, Mello shot Emma a dark look.

Fifteen minutes earlier, Emma returned the scores for the test he and Near had completed the day before. As usual, Near made a near-perfect mark. Mello, on the other hand, received ten points below him.

"Do you think we're friends or something now?" he snapped, ripping smaller pieces off the paper and letting them fall to the floor. "I'm not trying to make any friends. I wanna be the best."

"You already are one of the best - "

"That's not good enough!"

Silently, Emma walked over to the other side of the desk and opened one of the drawers. Under a stack of manila envelopes, she found what she was looking for: Three chocolate bars peeked from the bottom of the drawer. Grabbing two, she sat down beside the blonde-haired boy.

"It's not a cake, but... happy birthday."

He looked down at the chocolate bar she was holding out to him, his eyes darkening once again.

"How do you know?" he demanded. "You're not supposed to - "

"I promise I didn't look at anything else," Emma said quickly. "I just like to know when everyone's birthdays are."

"Do you know L's birthday?"

"Of course." Emma pressed a finger to her lips and winked at him. "But don't tell anyone. It's a secret."

Mello blushed, and for a moment he forgot why he was so angry in the first place. Why would she care about their birthdays?

"Do you want the chocolate or not?"

He peeled back the silver wrapper and opened his mouth to take a bite, but he stopped when after seeing Emma's gaze from the corner of his eye.

"Are you just gonna stare at me?"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" Emma laughed nervously and began to open her own chocolate bar. Once Mello looked away again, she smiled to herself.

"This is amazing!" Mello exclaimed.

Emma was unable to control her laughter when she saw the look on his face. His shocking blue eyes were practically glazed over as he stared down at the half-eaten chocolate in awe.

"Do you have any more?" he demanded, his cheeks turning red again. He refused to make eye contact with her.

Still giggling, Emma reached back into the drawer to pull out the third chocolate bar. "You can have as much as you want," she said.

"Don't you dare give Near any!" Mello tore the wrapping off the new chocolate bar and immediately began to devour it.

"Er... okay."

 _November 2004_

"You really shouldn't be so hard on yourself."

"I hate Near. You know as well as I do that he will be the one to succeed L. He has no emotions."

"Well... hopefully that won't be for a long time, so you don't have to worry about that anytime soon."

This was a familiar conversation. Emma had years of experience dealing with Mello during the times he felt inferior to Near. The two couldn't be any less alike: Near was methodical and cold, always calculating every move he made. Mello, however, was emotional and unpredictable. She wasn't quite sure how these two had both made it neck and neck to compete against winning L's title.

"What if he dies before he can catch Kira?"

Mello and Emma both turned at the sudden intrusion. The door stood ajar, and small white-haired boy shuffled into the room. He held a cardboard box in his arms, the contents of which were surely a fresh supply of puzzle pieces.

Emma shot him a dark look.

"Don't say that," she chastised him. "He'll be fine."

"Seeing that he sent you back here, the situation must be extremely dangerous." Near took a spot in the corner of the room and began to open the box. He turned it upside-down and let its contents spill onto the floor. Before he started working on this new puzzle, he twirled a hair around his finger. "L must know his life is in danger."

Taking a deep breath, Emma ignored him, although she knew what he said was true: L's sudden demand for her departure was clearly an act of desperation.

"Come on, Em." Mello grabbed her hand and yanked her towards the door, scowling at the younger boy as they walked past the mess of puzzle pieces. "What the hell is wrong with you, Near?"

Emma smiled at him. She appreciated the rarity of being defended by Mello, even though she knew it was being done in spite of Near.

* * *

 _October 2009_

The coffee nearly slipped from her grasp. Without saying a word to anyone else, Emma ran through the apartment door. She waited until she was outside to pull reach into her pocket for her phone.

She had to talk to Near.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Okay, so this chapter was definitely all over the place. The next chapter will focus more on the present.


	8. Clarity

**Author's Note:** Once again, I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter. I've been having a horrible case of writers' block, but inspiration finally struck today. I tried to make the chapter as long as possible, and it focuses on something major in the story. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 _Clarity_

"Of course... How could I not have seen it before?" L murmured, feeling very pleased with himself. He raised a cookie up to his face, studying each individual chocolate chip as he mulled over his thoughts. Yes, he was fifty - no, eighty percent sure he was correct.

But along with the usual sense of pride came a less familiar feeling, though he wasn't quite sure what it was. Could it be... Did he actually feel _sorry_ for the girl? The very same girl who had thrown countless tantrums in front of his cameras and deemed him incompetent?

L shook his head, crushing the cookie in his fist.

"Telling her about this would most likely have a negative effect on the case," he mumbled to himself, spilling the crumbs onto the table in front of him. "There are no benefits to her knowing."

 _July, 1996_

"What are you looking at?"

"Huh? Oh... nothing, I'm just thinking."

Emma narrowed her green eyes, waiting for more of an explanation; but Ryuzaki merely rolled his round saucers towards the ceiling, bringing a thumb to his mouth like he usually did while in deep thought. Becoming impatient, she leaned forward to look at the file laid out in front of him. Almost immediately, Ryuzaki jerked back, slamming the file shut - but not before Emma saw a glimpse of its contents.

 _#0021: Emory Jordyn_

Scribbled in the corner with blue ink: _Kaitlyn?_

And the worst of it - there appeared to be things in the file she hadn't told him.

"Hang on..." Emma furrowed her eyebrows. "Is that... my case? Why would you be looking at that?"

Ryuzaki said nothing, only continued to bite the edge of his thumbnail.

"Are you working on my case?" she demanded.

"I suppose you could say that," Ryuzaki muttered, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Why?"

"Well, it's my job - "

"No, you idiot!" Emma snapped, clenching her fists at her sides. "This whole time, you - I've told you everything! You know how I feel about L - about this entire case! But you... you've been working directly with him this whole time?"

She bit back the tears that threatened to spill onto her cheeks, which were flushed with anger. She knew Ryuzaki had been a part of the investigation, but she didn't think he would be working _directly_ with L. How could she not have seen it before? All of the questions he had been asking her... How could she have been so stupid? The whole time, he was -

A sudden realization dawned on her. Her eyes widened, and a single tear escaped out of the corner of her eye. She stared at Ryuzaki blankly, and he finally locked his dark eyes with hers - but only for a second before he quickly shifted his gaze downwards. He knew exactly what she was about to say next.

"You..." Her voice was a hoarse whisper. "You're L, aren't you?"

* * *

It had been days since Emma had spoken a word to Ryuzak - L since their last conversation. She had even refused to enter his interrogation room when Watari came to her door and announced L had requested her presence. He did this everyday for nearly two weeks before Emma finally agreed to meet with him; but already, she was fuming with anger. Did L really think she was going to talk to him through a computer screen after she'd figured out who he really was?

However, when Watari opened the door and stepped aside, Emma's eyes widened in shocked. Instead of the usual laptop screen that sat across from her on the desk, a chair had been placed on the opposite side. Sitting hunched over in his usual position, thumb in mouth, eyes diverting from the person in front of him, was L.

For the first time in the two months she had been here, Ryuzaki was finally revealing himself to her as who he really was. This entire time - every agonizing moment she had spent in this very room being questioned and forced to remember her worst memories by a person she could not stand - the entire time, it had simultaneously been the very person she had begun to trust. The only person she had ever given her trust to in her entire life besides Kaitlyn had been lying right to her face.

Slowly and silently, she sat down across from him; and now it was her turn to avoid his gaze. She wasn't sure if she could do it. If she looked into his dark panda eyes, she would instantly feel the sharp sting of betrayal. If she looked into his eyes, she might not be able to control the lump that had been forming in the back of her throat.

"Emma..." L began carefully, "I know you're hurt and feel betrayed, but there are important matters that need to be discussed. I knew it was only a matter of time before you figured out my true identity. I was hoping I would be able to reveal myself at a later time... However, now that you know the truth, it's only fair that I tell you my deductions."

She finally looked up at him, the lump in her throat slowly turning into anger again.

"You mean there's more?" she demanded. "What else have you been lying to me about?"

L sighed, and for the first time Emma noticed a manila folder had been placed in front of him. She recognized the number on the tab: #0021. It was her file.

"Your friend... Kaitlyn," L said emotionlessly. "I'm afraid there's something you need to know about her."

* * *

 _June, 2004_

"Ryuzaki... why haven't you released Light and Misa yet? There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?"

Once again, Emma found herself sitting beside L, sipping a steaming cup of coffee. For weeks, he had not taken his eyes off the screens in front of him, particularly on Misa Amane. Emma narrowed her eyes at his silence.

 _Could it be that L is truly a pervert after all?_ She smirked to herself before taking a careful sip of her coffee.

As if he could read her thoughts, L suddenly turned to her with wide eyes. Emma felt herself shrink under his gaze. She hated that he could do that - make her feel so small with just a look in his eye; it was as if he could see right through her. Her cheeks turned slightly pink.

"W-What?" she stuttered. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I hate to bring this up again... but I believe it would be helpful to the investigation if you could explain to me what you remember about Kaitlyn."

Emma glared at him, slamming her cup of coffee down on the saucer with a loud clang.

"I told you, I don't want to talk about that."

"I understand it might be difficult for you, but - "

"But nothing," she interrupted him, her voice trembling slightly, surprised by her own anger. It had been quite a while since she'd spoken to L this way. Aside from when they first met, her being truly angry with him was a rare occurrence. It never lasted long. "You won't even tell me _why_ this has any relevance to the case."

"Emma, I - "

"Save whatever bullshit excuse you have for me. I won't buy it." Emma stood suddenly, abandoning her coffee on the table. "We promised not to keep anything from each other, but lately you've been acting like a real jerk, you know that?"

"I apologize if my actions have upset you - "

"Don't feed me your lines," Emma said through gritted teeth, starting to head towards the door. "Kaitlyn has nothing to do with this. I spent years trying to get over that part of my life, and I don't understand why you keep bringing it up. Unless you're willing to tell me everything, I'm afraid I can't help you."

Without another word, she stormed off towards the door.

"I'm truly sorry. I didn't think you would be this upset."

For a moment, she paused at the door, clenching her fists angrily. For a moment, she thought to retort back, but she knew he would only add more fuel to the fire. L always had to have the last word. Therefore, she bit her tongue and resisted from saying anything.

As she exited the room L occupied and entered the main living room of the suite they'd been using for HQ, she nearly jumped in shock as she saw someone sitting on the sofa. Papers were strewn across the coffee table in the center of the room. She had been sure everyone from the Task Force had already gone home.

However, Matsuda sat on the center of the couch, looking through the papers almost feverishly.

"Mr. Matsu?"

His head jerked up, only just noticing another person's presence in the room. Once he realized who it was, his face turned pink.

"Oh - hi," he said gingerly, putting down the papers he'd been looking through. "Sorry... I didn't realize anyone was still here - besides Ryuzaki, that is."

"Well, I usually stay with him," she said quietly.

"Right, of course you do." Matsuda chuckled nervously. "I knew that. It's just... I guess I was so focused on this - "

"What are you working on? Maybe I could help?"

"Really? Are you sure? Doesn't... Ryuzaki need your help?"

Emma attempted to hide her annoyance, but she huffed loudly. Folding her arms across her chest, she said, "Ryuzaki doesn't need help from anyone. He could probably solve this entire case on his own."

"Right..." Matsuda hesitated at first, then smiled warmly at her. "Well, if you don't mind, you're more than welcome to join me."

* * *

 _July, 1996_

A silence had fallen over the room so thick, you could have cut through it with a knife. She and L were the only two people in the room; Watari had stepped out. It was when he did that Emma realized what L was about to tell her was serious. However, she could've never imagined _this_.

Finally, she spoke in a cracked voice: "Why... What made you come to this conclusion?"

"When I say I've come to the conclusion, there is a possibility that I'm wrong - "

"I thought your deductions were always accurate."

"Well, yes... but... I'd like to ask a few questions before I determine it to be a fact."

"Alright then." Emma sighed, lowering her eyes to the hem of her shirt as she twisted it with her hands.

"The man you spoke of - Mr. Charles - was he the only one to request Kaitlyn?"

"I... I'm not sure. He always requested us both."

"Did any of the other children mention Kaitlyn?"

"Of course they did - "

"Specifically by her name? Did they ever mention her when not speaking directly to you?"

"I...," Emma's voice faltered as the pieces began to click together in her mind. She looked up at L pleadingly, as if she was silently begging for him to give her some kind of explanation - anything other than this. She averted her gaze again. "Now that I think about it... no, I don't think so."

"I figured that was the case," L said matter-of-factly.

There was a bowl of sugar cubes to his left and a cup of coffee. Slowly, he began dropping the cubes into the cup, one by one. Emma wasn't sure what was worse: The silence, this new string of questioning, or the tiny splashes of coffee that filled the room each time he dropped another sugar cube. It was maddening.

"You think I'm crazy."

L stopped suddenly, his slender fingers still holding the sugar cube above the cup. He raised his eyes to meet hers, then rolled them upwards towards the ceiling, as if he was contemplating on what to say next. He chose his words carefully.

"No," he said quietly, still staring upwards, "I don't believe you are crazy. Actually, I'm not all that surprised."

"What?" Emma demanded. "You mean - you've suspected this all along?"

"Not at the beginning, no." L chose his words carefully. "Emory..."

"Don't call me that. Don't act as if we haven't spent weeks together, as if - as if we're strangers. Don't speak to me like you're behind a computer screen. Talk to me like you have been every time we've spoken in person. Talk to me like you're still Ryuzaki... like we're still friends."

L seemed taken aback by her words. He dropped his final sugar cube into the coffee and dropped his gaze back down to face her. Her cheeks were bright pink, and her green eyes flashed with hurt, confusion, and a hint of betrayal.

"Children who have gone through the amount of trauma that you have often disassociate themselves from the situation, especially when the trauma lasts for as long as it did in your situation." He did not break their gaze, even when he saw Emma's eyes filling with unshed tears. "It's not surprising that this would happen to you. The trauma you must have gone through... it was most likely too much for you to handle on your own. Your mind came up with a defense mechanism."

"You mean a hallucination?"

"I suppose you could call it something like that," L continued, slurping his coffee loudly. "Instead of accepting what was happening to you, you disassociated yourself from the situation. It doesn't mean you're crazy - it doesn't even suggest that your hallucinations will continue. It was simply a temporary defense - "

"So what you're saying..." Emma whispered, the tears finally beginning to fall. "Basically, you're telling me everything that happened to Kaitlyn... everything Kaitlyn did... all of it was actually me?"

Before he could answer, she rose up from her chair suddenly, nearly sending it flying backwards. She choked back a sob before turning away from him and quickly running out of the room.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day, Emma ignored Watari's attempts to bring anything in her room. At first, he had offered her chamomile tea, then he later returned with a plate of sugar cookies and various amounts of sweets. Finally, after she refused to eat any dinner, he appeared to have given up.

"If there's anything you need at all, Miss Emma, please do not hesitate to ask," he had said through the door, which she refused to even open.

Emma felt guilty: Watari had done nothing to her. However, she couldn't bring herself to face him. Surely he must have known what L recently enlightened her of. Had he also known the entire time? Did they both know how delusional she was each time she demanded they find her friend? She racked her brain, looking for any evidence in past memories that L was wrong; but the more she thought about it, the more it all made sense.

She glanced over at the clock on the nightstand near her bed. It was nearly midnight. This was the first time in weeks she had even been in her own bedroom at such a late hour. She blushed to herself at the thought, but the idea of sleeping alone right now seemed like the worst thing possible.

And that's how she found herself standing outside of Ryuzaki's - no, _L's_ bedroom door. The thought made her cringe slightly.

 _This is a bad idea._

She began to turn away and head back to her bedroom when she heard the door creak open, and she froze mid-step. Even though her back was turned to him, she could feel his gaze boring into the back of her head. He knew she would come, and somehow knowing that made her even more frustrated.

"Would you like to come in?"

Her face was burning, and she refused to turn around to face him. She clenched a fist, her fingernails digging into the inside of her palm. Did she really want to? Even after he'd lied to her for months?

As much as she hated to admit it, Ryuzaki had brought an odd form of comfort for her throughout the last few weeks. But this wasn't Ryuzaki anymore. This was L, the person she hated with every fiber of her being. How could it be possible to hate someone so much that had brought so much solace into her life?

Emma said nothing. Instead, she turned on her heel and walked into the room, brushing past L without even so much as a glance.

"Are you... alright?" he asked hesitantly.

Angry hot tears burned at the corners of her eyes, and she shut them tightly to keep them from spilling. She refused to cry in front of him again. Not him. Not L.

"Of course I'm not alright, you idiot!" she snapped, still keeping her back turned to him.

In his room, she saw a laptop propped up on the bed, along with several papers. Had he not expected her to come after all?

"I... Do you think...?" She bit her lip nervously, her cheeks getting hotter by the second. "Is it okay with you...?"

L feigned confusion and tilted his head slightly.

"You're not still angry with me?"

"Don't get the wrong idea," she said, finally whipping around to face him. "I'm still angry. You lied to me. I feel as if I don't even know you." She glared down at the floor, avoiding his gaze. "But... I just can't be alone right now, okay?"

"I understand. I'll just move my things, and you can sleep - "

"No."

"Huh?"

"Y-You don't need to move your things." Emma bit her lip and shifted her eyes upwards, anywhere away from his grey eyes. By now, her entire face was flushed. "That is, if you don't mind... I just... do you think you could stay next to me?"

When Emma finally turned her eyes towards him, she nearly gasped. His own cheeks had turned bright red, and his eyes were fixated on the hardwood floor as he shuffled his feet from one to the other. His hands were buried deep in the pocket of his jeans.

 _Is he... embarrassed?_

"Hey!" she said suddenly. "D-Don't get the wrong idea! I just don't wanna be alone. That's all."

"Of course," he muttered. "Well, I suppose that's okay."

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Gingerly, she climbed into the bed, in her usual spot. However, this felt completely different than it had the other countless times she'd been in his bed. It wasn't just the fact that they would now be sharing the bed, but also knowing who he really was. L, the great detective, was actually nervous about sharing a bed with a girl.

"By the way," L said from beside her, "just because you now know who I am doesn't change anything. You must still continue to refer to me as Ryuzaki."

"Really? Oh, okay. I think I might actually prefer it that way." Emma sighed in relief.


	9. Wammy's House

**Author's Note:** I'm trying to update this story a little more often than I have been, and the next few chapters are (most likely) going to focus on L and Emma's past - particularly, Emma's case.

I also need to mention a change I made in an earlier chapter. Previously, the past was taking place in Wammy's House. However, I realized that it would be better for them to have remained in America, where L originally found Emma. Their current location is a house L has been renting as a type of headquarters for his investigation of the trafficking ring.

* * *

 _July, 1996_

 _Kaitlyn does not exist. She never did._

 _For years, she had imagined the only person she'd ever truly trusted in her entire life._

 _In reality, Kaitlyn had never defended her from Charles Bowman. In reality, it had been her own mind protecting her from realizing the truth._

 _Out of all the men who came in and out of Klein's place, Charles Bowman had been the cruelest and most powerful. Kaitlyn had always told her about him, how he was someone important in the outside world._

 _No, Kaitlyn hadn't told her anything. It had been her own thoughts all along._

But how? How could any of this be possible? Was it truly possible to hallucinate an entire person for so many years? For as long as she could remember, Kaitlyn had been there with her all along.

She suddenly found herself in a small, cramped place. Darkness surrounded her. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest, and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. Frantically, she began to feel around into the abyss. Her hands, slick with sweat, attempted to grab on to something - anything - but all they found were the walls surrounding her; they seemed to be closing in on her little by little. She began to panic. Where was she? It felt so familiar. She had been here before; she had experienced this suffocating feeling countless times. However, she could not place exactly where she was -

A voice echoed from somewhere far away, repeating the same words again and again, but she could not make out exactly what -

 _Emma... Emma..._

Her eyes snapped open, and she immediately felt disoriented. The darkness was gone, the walls no longer surrounding her. She now found herself in a dimly lit room, shivering and covered in sweat. Her trembling hands were gripping tightly onto what felt like soft cotton. She felt the warmth of a body close beside her. Slowly, she lifted her eyes up to find herself practically wrapped around the warmth.

Looking down at her with blank, wide eyes was L. It was difficult to determine the emotions behind them, but there was definitely a hint of panic behind his usually indifferent expression.

It was then that Emma realized she had curled up beside him in her sleep, her hands latched onto his sleeves. Immediately, she recoiled, releasing her firm grasp on him and nearly jumping backward. Her face was flushed, her eyes wide with horror.

L remained still, almost frozen in place. He merely continued to stare at her in her frightened state, unsure of what to do. As they both continued to stare at each other, Emma realized his cheeks were slightly pink.

Finally, L broke the silence:

"You... were having a nightmare," he said quietly, visibly attempting to calm himself as his stiff shoulders began to relax. "I didn't move so as not to disturb you - I wasn't sure whether to wake you or not, but you started to cry - "

Emma brought a hand to her cheek and felt the wetness there.

"You spoke of your friend."

"My friend?" she whispered, feeling an ache in her chest. "She's not my friend. She's not real."

"That is correct," L said quietly. "However, she was very much real to you for quite some time."

She looked down at her hands, which were still trembling from the fading memories of her dream. She could still remember the endless darkness, the walls closing in on her. The familiar feeling of dread she knew she had felt many times before. She couldn't bring herself to look back up, but she could feel L's gaze. A slight feeling of gratitude began to fill in her chest.

"Thank you," she mumbled, her eyes fixated on the blue duvet.

"What for?"

"For... you know." Emma slowly brought her eyes up to meet his, the warmth spreading across her cheeks again. She averted her gaze once again. "For staying with me. And I'm sorry for... for... grabbing you like that."

He let out a small breath and shook his head.

"Th - There's no need to apologize," he said quickly. "You were afraid."

She blushed again and lowered her head in shame. Although his tone was soothing, she felt herself shrinking under his gaze.

"There was another name you mentioned," L continued. "The same man we've spoken of before - Charles Bowman."

She stiffened at name.

"I have to admit... I've found it quite difficult to gather enough hard evidence to indict him. I might need your help."

Emma's eyes snapped back up to meet his, unable to hide the shiver that crawled up her spine.

"What... What could I do?" she whispered.

"I need you to come with me to England."

"Huh?"

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Emma found herself boarding a plane to London. L did not join her but instead sent Watari in his place, since she had never actually been on an airplane before. She had asked if he would be joining them later, but his answers were more than vague. He simply told her everything would be explained when she got to her destination. Per L's request, Watari had instructed her to take a small orange pill before boarding. At first she thought to protest, but she decided against it once he explained that it was simply to calm her nerves.

She slept through most of the flight and was still rather groggy when Watari began to unload her luggage from the back of the town car they had taken from the airport. The ride had been quite long, but to Emma it had felt like mere minutes. Rubbing her eyes wearily, she looked up at the massive building they'd pulled into. From a distance, she could hear the laughter of children.

"Watari..." she said bleakly, "where are we?"

Watari smiled down at her kindly, bowing his head slightly as he shut the car door behind her.

"Welcome to Wammy's House, Miss Emma."

"Wammy's House?"

"Mm, now if you'll just follow me - I'll take your things to your room. I imagine your quite exhausted from the trip. Perhaps you should get some rest. I'll have tea sent up to your room - "

"What about L? Is he here?"

"Miss Emma, I must ask you to please refrain from referring to Ryuzaki as 'L' from now on."

"Oh, right, I'm sorry." She bit her lip. "Well... is Ryuzaki coming here as well?"

"Not to worry, Miss Emma." Watari's smile deepened. "He will be joining you shortly."

Emma blushed furiously.

She followed him up what seemed like an endless set of stairs. _How many floors does this place have? How many rooms?_ Her wide eyes wandered around in awe. Klein's establishment had been rather large, but it was nothing like this. Wammy's House seemed more like a castle. As far as she could see, everything was hardwood flooring - all spotless and practically gleaming. The décor was simple but elegant: There was a vase of white flowers placed carefully atop a small antique table which stood beside a red velvet armchair in one of the corners of the space between the staircases. A tall bookcase standing above it caught Emma's attention, and her eyes practically glazed over as she tried to take in the amount of books neatly organized inside it.

At last they reached what Emma assumed was to be her new bedroom. As she took a step inside, she let out a small gasp.

It was probably the largest room she had ever seen. Back in the states, she had always been impressed at the size of the rooms in the house they'd been staying in. However, their sizes paled in comparison to this: A king-sized four-poster bed loomed from the far right, its deep red bedding appearing slightly royal in contrast with the dark cherry wood of the bedframe. On either side were a matching set of nightstands, one of which held a familiar stack of manila folders.

Had L already been here?

She walked over to the massive window in the center of the room, its cream-colored curtains drawn. When she pulled them open slightly, she discovered the window was actually a set of French doors that lead to a balcony. Emma's breath caught in her throat as she took in the beautiful view overlooking the estate. The sun had begun to set, but she could still see the beautiful landscape that seemed to go on for miles.

"I'll leave you to it, then, Miss Emma," Watari said, nearly causing her to jump. She had almost forgotten he was standing at the threshold of the door. "I shall send some tea shortly, and I believe Ryuzaki has already arrived."

"Th-Thank you," was the only thing Emma managed to say, still struck by her surroundings.

Was this really her new home?

There were so many questions running through her mind, questions she knew better than to ask. If she had learned anything about the great detective L, it was that he was a very secretive person. And yet... somehow, she felt as though she might actually know him a little better than she realized. But why had he brought her here? What did he need her help with? She shivered as she recounted their conversation about Charles Bowman. Would she have to testify against him?

Kaitlyn had always protected her from Charles.

 _No, you thought she did. That was all you._

But it certainly did not feel like it. Just the thought of possibly having to face him in court and look him in the eye frightened her. Despite that thought, she felt oddly calm - most likely due to the medication Watari had given her earlier. The effects had yet to completely wear off.

"Are you alright?"

Emma did not react to the sudden intrusion, for she knew already who it came from. She whirled around to see L standing awkwardly at the door, his shoulders slumped forward in his usual posture. His hands were buried deep into his pockets, and he was shuffling his feet slightly, which -

"Are you actually wearing shoes?"

"Erm, yes," he said timidly, glancing down at the worn sneakers, the tattered laces trailing beside them.

"Do you not tie your shoes?"

"I find it's easier to remove them and quickly put them back on that way," L said simply, as if she should have known something like that already.

"Oh."

"You avoided my question," he stated, tilting his head slightly. "You seem nervous. Is something wrong? Did you refuse to take the medication Watari - ?"

"I _did_ take it," Emma huffed, but then she bit her lip. "I mean... thank you for that. It really did help."

"I'll have Watari set up an appointment with a doctor, so that you can get proper treatment. Hopefully, you'll be able to get much better rest with those."

Emma stared at him.

"You know... you... you really don't need to take care of me like this," she mumbled. "You've done too much for me."

"No, I don't need to," he said, "but I want to."

He shuffled his way into the room towards the nightstand, reaching for the stack of folders before climbing onto the bed. Pulling his knees up to his chest and sticking a thumb in his mouth, he dropped the stack onto the bed.

"Besides," he said, resting his dark eyes on her, "I also need your help."

"What can I do?"

"I need a date."

"Wh - What?!" Emma eyes were wild with panic. _A date? What the hell does_ that _mean?_

"There's no reason to get worked up over anything at the moment," L said coolly, his expression revealing no emotion. He almost looked bored. "We can discuss the details further tomorrow. For now, please get some rest."

How was she supposed to get some rest after he had just said something like that? And so casually, as if he were discussing the weather. Was this something related to her case? Surely, he doesn't mean he wants _to actually go out on a date._

"Please don't worry yourself for now," he said, his tone dropping down to a more soothing level. "If necessary, you can take another Valium to help you sleep. Enough time has passed for you to safely take it again."

"But I - "

"I assure you, you have nothing to be anxious about." L's gaze bore into her eyes, and she could almost see that same hint of concern he'd had for her when she'd woken from her nightmare. "I have my work with me here, and I'll have Watari bring anything else I might need, so I... I won't leave your side."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So as you guys can probably tell, I'm in a bit of a fluff mood - but I don't want to do too much and make L OOC. Do you guys like these kinds of chapters? I'm so excited to write L and Emma's "date"!


	10. The Charity Ball

**Author's Note:** I've been waiting to write these new couple of chapters for so long. I've been really excited about it, and I hope it turns out as well as it appears in my mind. I had a lot of fun writing this.

* * *

 _It was pitch black. Her body was shaking as unsteady hands grasped at the darkness surrounding her._

 _There was a sliver of light on the floor, nearly reaching her toes. She reached for it, desperately trying to escape, but it was no use. She was frozen in place, her muscles tight, the weight on her chest leaving her breathless._

 _The only sound apart from her heart pounding in her chest were muffled voices coming from beyond the darkness. What were they saying? She was sure she heard Kaitlyn's name mentioned._

 _She was being punished. What had she done? She could not remember._

 _The walls began to close in on her. Her breath hitched in her throat, almost as if an invisible cord was wrapping itself around her. The more she tried to move, the tighter it became._

Emma shot up, wincing at the sudden light that hit her eyes. Gasping for air, she looked around frantically, listening for the muffled voices that spoke of Kaitlyn.

But there was nothing. Only silence.

 _June, 2004_

She was in her room, safe in the hotel that currently served as the headquarters for the Kira Task Force. When had she fallen asleep? The digital clock on the nightstand told her it was two in the morning.

Kicking off the hotel bedsheets, still damp from sweat, she swung her legs around and buried her face in her hands.

Kaitlyn isn't real. She never was; so why did she continue to haunt her dreams?

She quickly peeled off her sweat-soaked t-shirt and changed into a dry sweatshirt, shivering as she exited the room and walked into the empty hallway. Quietly, she made her way towards the room L had been using to monitor Misa Amane and Light Yagami. However, as she peered through the doorway, she found the recliner placed in front of the security cameras to be empty. On the screens, she saw Light Yagami was sound asleep. Misa Amane remained in the same place, her head slumped forward. Emma cringed at the sight. She had yet to be used to L's methods of interrogation. Were they really doing the right thing?

She found herself frozen in front of L's bedroom door, straining her ears to listen for any movement beyond it. She knew better than to think he was asleep. L would never rest as long as he was able to keep surveillance on his two prime suspects. In her mind's eye, she could see him propped up on the bed, two separate laptops sitting across from him as he studied them both intensely.

Taking in a shaky breath, Emma tapped lightly on the door before pushing it open.

L didn't even bother looking up from the two computer screens in front of him. It was almost exactly as she'd pictured: Surrounded by several plates of sweets and cakes, he sat crouched at the corner of the bed.

"You had a nightmare." It wasn't a question.

Emma said nothing. Instead, she shut the door behind her and climbed onto the bed across from him, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She did not expect any comfort from him: It seemed like years ago since the last time she'd come to him in the middle of the night. Before, she was only able to sleep with him beside her. Now, however, she was unsure of what to do.

"Have you seen her again?"

A chill ran up her spine.

"No..." she said, shaking her head, "but she's always in my nightmare."

After a few moments of silence, he finally turned his round saucer eyes to her. There was a hint of pity behind them. Emma hated that.

"You mentioned earlier... you wanted to ask me some questions," she mumbled, picking at the blanket between them, "Questions about... about... Kaitlyn... Something to do with the Kira case?"

"Yes."

"Well... go ahead and ask me."

* * *

August, 1996

"Watari... is Ryuzaki completely insane?"

"I assure, Miss Emma, he is quite the opposite."

"And he told you to bring these to me? For me to choose? And he didn't give you an explanation?"

"I believe he wishes for you to attend the annual charity ball that is being held in London in a few days as his escort. I'm afraid that's all the information I can give you at the moment. However, he will explain everything in due time."

Emma stared at the elder man, who simply bowed his head before exiting the room.

A rack of formal dresses stood in the center of her new bedroom, the delicate fabrics glistening against the sunlight streaming in through the French doors' windowpanes. Each dress was completely different from the other: Some were sequined, others were made of tulle; there was an assortment of dark colors ranging from deep red to hunter green.

 _How does he know my size?_

That was the very first question to run through her mind, and she felt as if she herself were the one who was going insane.

Well, she may very well be insane. After all, it hadn't been so long ago that she'd discovered the only friend she ever had in life was a figment of her imagination - no, a defense mechanism that had been created by her brain to protect her from enduring the trauma.

And after learning such a thing, L actually expected her to attend _a charity ball?_ As his escort, no less?

She stomped out of the room, her boots squeaking against the floorboards.

"Have you _completely_ lost your mind?"

Hunched over in the center of room, surrounded by mountains of paperwork and folders, a tower of biscuits standing untouched beside him, L snapped his head up at the sound of the door bursting open. For the first time, he appeared to be genuinely surprised to see her. Other than Watari, nobody had ever dared to enter the room he'd made into an office for himself.

"What is _wrong_ with you? Why is there an entire clothing store's worth of ball gowns in my room?"

L stared blankly at her, grabbing a biscuit from the top of his tower.

"Do you not like any of them?" he asked innocently. "I can have Watari bring different ones - "

"What? No! That's not it at all!" Emma blushed furiously. "When you - I mean, when you asked me - I didn't think - A _charity ball? Really?_ "

"Please try to calm down," L said quietly, brushing a few crumbs off the hem of his shirt. "This is all a part of your case."

Emma's words caught in her throat, her cheeks growing hotter. Of course.

"As much as I hate exposing myself - as well as risking your safety - I'm afraid I have no choice in the matter," he continued after a few moments of silence, his words slightly muffled by his chewing. "You see, Charles Bowman is a difficult man to locate. I believe getting in contact with him will lead to the discovery of Klein Dolvetsky. Recently, we've learned that Charles Bowman is on the guest list for this charity event."

"And you want _me_ to go with you?"

"Yes, that's right." L tilted his head upwards as he stuffed an entire biscuit into his mouth, smacking loudly as he did so. "I have reason to believe there will be quite a few guests who frequented Klein Dolvetsky's... establishment. With you there, we can certainly identify more."

Emma was at a loss for words. A sick feeling began to grow in the pit of her stomach.

"There's no need to worry," L said. "I'll be with you the entire time. Nobody will be able to hurt you."

"That's not the point," she snapped, although even she was not even sure exactly what _was_ her point. "What if someone recognizes me? What if... What if Klein is actually there?"

"Well that would be the ideal situation, wouldn't it?" L bit the edge of his thumbnail, abandoning his biscuits. "If you happen to see Klein Dolvetsky, we will move to bring him into custody at once.

"Of course, this is all very big risk for you," he continued, his dark eyes boring into her green orbs. "I don't wish to force you into anything that may make you uncomfortable. You may feel free to say no at anytime. The ball isn't until two nights from now, so you have until then to decide."

Without another word, he returned to devouring his biscuits. The way he spoke was so casual, as if there were no emotion behind his thoughts or actions. Emma had become accustomed to his strange ways, but his indifference never failed to sting a little.

"I'll do it," she whispered, causing him to pause mid-bite. He looked rather comical, his wide eyes rolling back towards her as part of a biscuit stuck out from his mouth.

" _Vurrywull_ ," he said through a mouthful before swallowing the entire biscuit whole. "I'll have Watari continue the preparations."

* * *

And just like that, not even forty-eight hours later, Emma found herself standing awkwardly at the top of a marble staircase overlooking the most extravagant ballroom she could have ever imagined:

Among the crowds were servers carrying trays filled with delicacies, winding their way through the groups of people. Men wore expensive suits and ties, talking amongst themselves as the women, all adorned with precious jewels, laughed politely at private jokes shared between their escorts. Everything was sparkling. Tables lined the corners of the room filled with endless amounts of food and desserts. At the far end was a bar; a man dressed in a tuxedo that was apparently the staff's uniform stood behind it, mixing drinks for the small line of guests that had gathered around.

Immediately, Emma scanned the room frantically for any sign of a familiar face. There were so many people, she doubted whether she could actually identify anyone. Her breath caught in her throat. What if someone recognized her before she could see them?

"You seem quite anxious."

She gasped at the sound of L's voice; she had completely forgotten that he had been standing beside her the entire time she was studying the ballroom. She shot him a dark look, feeling suddenly very aware of the amount of makeup she was wearing. Luckily, it was most likely covering the redness that was slowly creeping its way up her neck.

Slow, romantic music began to drift from invisible speakers.

She gazed upwards at the monstrous chandelier in the center of the ceiling, its dancing crystals casting a mesmerizing glow across the entire ballroom. A few couples had begun to slow dance, appearing to be in sync with the crystal's sparkling. It almost looked magical; and for a moment, Emma forgot the reason they were there.

"Aren't you?" she asked, tearing her eyes from distraction. "Nervous, I mean?"

"I'll admit, I'm not very good with crowds," L said hesitantly. "However, this is strictly for investigative purposes. We're here to work. You'll find I'm actually quite good at pretending to fit in."

"Erm..."

Somehow, his words left her feeling slightly unsettled. She glanced down at his own attire: He was wearing a white buttoned-down shirt, but it remained untucked, slightly rumpled at the ends. Fortunately, his black jacket covered most of the wrinkles. On his feet, he wore a pair of tattered black sneakers.

Emma had chosen a navy blue dress with a hint of shimmer sparkling from the fabric around her collarbone, which hugged her curves perfectly. Underneath the tulle skirt, her knees felt weak. In her heels, she was nearly taller than L, as he slouched forward. She bit her lip to keep herself from giggling.

L stuck out like a sore thumb.

She did not notice she had begun to fiddle with the pearl bracelet adorning her wrist, and so she nearly jumped when she felt a slender hand slip through her fingers. Emma's eyes widened, slowly lifting up to L's face, which - as usual - appeared calm and collected.

 _Is he trying to hold my hand?_

"What are you doing?" she hissed.

"You're supposed to be my date," he said simply, ignoring the obvious panic in her eyes. "We must play the part and join the party. Remember what we're here for. Keep a look out for any familiar faces."

"Wait - "

Emma recoiled slightly, pulling back her hand before L could begin to tug her forward and attempt to lead her down the marble steps. She shrunk back into the curved railing, wanting to hide behind the decorative tree that loomed in front of her.

"I..." She stared down at the red carpet covering the marble, pursing her dark lips. Through gritted teeth, she whispered, "I don't know how to dance."

L scoffed, and Emma glared daggers at him, once again grateful for the foundation covering the inevitable blush that was spreading across her face. But her expression of anger was quickly mixed with confusion as she noticed the corner of his mouth twitch upwards. Was he smirking?

"I suspected that. It's quite alright." He offered her his hand, looking up at her with his usual blank expression. "You can just follow my lead."

"Your - ? You know how to - ?" Emma stammered, unable to finish the question as L closed his fingers around her hand and pulled it upwards. Slightly bowing his head, he waited for her to step down beside him. For a few seconds, she merely stared at him, dumbfounded, until she finally found her wits about her and took a careful step forward.

"I promise, I'm actually quite good at it."

 _How does L know how to dance? And why would he know how to dance? Would Ryuzaki have a reason to learn to dance?_

There were often times Emma still thought of L and Ryuzaki as two separate people: L was the cold, emotionless detective, who cared for nothing more than making the correct deductions. Ryuzaki, on the other hand, although awkward, was somewhat welcoming. Despite his many emotional shortcomings, Ryuzaki made her feel safe. She'd grown used to the smell of vanilla surrounding her as she fell asleep, and she found it impossible to associate that feeling with the great detective L.

So whose hand was she holding at this very moment? Was this just L simply pretending to be kind to her in order to give the illusion they were a happy couple - or could this actually be Ryuzaki, reassuring her that everything would be okay? The gentle touch of his hand gave her hope it was the latter.

She hadn't noticed her arms were shaking until she placed them wherever L instructed her. Her mind felt numb, and she found herself at a loss for words. She was too busy trying to focus on not stepping on L's sneakers. Surprisingly, L was indeed doing a halfway decent job on leading. She concentrated on mimicking his steps, but she was still riddled with nerves.

"What's the matter?" L murmured, leaning to look at her, his eyes showing a flash of concern. "Do you see someone?"

"N-No." She gripped the fabric of his black jacket. "But what if I do see Klein?"

Before she could react, she felt L's hand on the small of her back push her forward, pulling her close to him. She stiffened; she wasn't sure whether she wanted to push him away or let herself sink into his embrace. The smell of vanilla filled her nostrils, and she began to feel her muscles relax. Her cheek nearly brushed up against his -

"Do you see the security men?"

The sound of his voice whispering in her ear sent a shiver down her spine, and she swallowed hard, her eyes darting around the room nervously. She hadn't noticed them before: The men dressed in all black standing strategically throughout the ballroom. There were a couple in pairs standing in the far corners and a few moving throughout the crowd.

"Those are actually agents," L murmured into her ear. "If anything happens, they will immediately act. If you do happen to see him, I want you to ask me to fetch you a drink."

"But what if - ?" Emma's voice cracked, the sick feeling in her stomach beginning to grow. His sweet scent was intoxicating. She was so close to him.

"Don't worry." L tightened his grip on her waist, sensing her swaying too far to the left. He pushed her up against him, and she felt as if she would faint. "I'll protect you."

This time, she did push him away. Her head was spinning. Placing a hand on her stomach, she steadied herself by gripping onto his arm with the other.

"What's wrong?"

There was that look in his eye again - the flash of concern that lasted only a second.

"I... need to use the restroom," was what came out of her mouth. She spoke before thinking. What she really needed was to get some fresh air. She eyed the towering glass doors that stood just a few feet away. Transparent curtains revealed an empty courtyard.

"I'll walk with you - "

"No, I can manage on my own," Emma insisted. "You did say there was nothing to worry about, remember?"

She did not give him a chance to protest as she made a beeline through the crowd, heading towards where she imagined the powder room would be. It was only once she saw L look away that she changed her course to the doors that led outside.

She wasn't sure why she had lied to him. She doubted he would have minded her wanting to go outside. However, she wasn't sure how much longer she could stand to be so close to him. There was a soft flutter in her chest, and her breath caught in her throat. What was this feeling? She needed to breathe.

Fortunately, the outside was clear of most people save for a couple on the far side of the garden. Emma let out a breath, a slight tremor radiating throughout her body. Leaning against the stone banister surrounding the beginning of the courtyard, she closed her eyes. This was _not_ the real L - not even the real Ryuzaki. Was he really so good at acting? Did he really care enough to protect her, or was that just part of the act?

She could still feel the warmth of his hand on the small of her back, reassuring her.

 _I'll protect you._

It had been those words that caused the flutter in her chest. Did he truly care about protecting _her_ \- or was it really all about the case?

 _It's just an act._

Her eyes fluttered open as a splash of yellow filled her peripheral vision. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Walking past the silk curtains was a tall girl with red curls, practically skipping her way into the hallway that lead into the powder rooms. The hair, the girl's demeanor - it was only a second, but Emma could almost perfectly make out the girl's features.

It was Kaitlyn.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So I decided to leave it on a cliffhanger! I'd really like to hear more from you guys. Do you want more chapters like this? Does anyone have any suggestions? I would really appreciate the feedback.


	11. Warning

**Author's Note:** I'm not really used to writing stuff like this, but I'm gonna try. Let me know what you guys think!

* * *

The surrounding atmosphere began to change around her, and suddenly she felt very light, almost as if she was floating.

Had Kaitlyn seen her?

Had she really seen Kaitlyn?

Her legs began to move on their own. Before she could think of what to do, she followed the girl in the yellow dress.

Could it really be - ?

The party guests appeared to vanish around her, and she found herself in an empty corridor. The muffled sounds of the party continued to drift from behind the walls, but all Emma could hear was the pounding of her racing heart. It was deafening.

And there it was again - in the corner of her eye, slipping behind a door - a flash of yellow.

Without a second thought, she hurried down the hallway. The air was thick, and she felt as if she had entered a dream world. The sound of her heels clicking against the tile floor was the only thing reminding her of where she was.

Finally reaching the door, she pushed it open, fully prepared to find an empty room. Her eyes widened in disbelief as the door closed silently behind her.

Leaning over a marble counter was Kaitlyn, as beautiful as ever. Her red curls dangled over the alabaster sink as she peered into the mirror in front of her. In her hand was a small compact that held a powder puff. She ran a finger along the edge of her red lipstick, checking for smudges. Emma stood silently gaping at her, still questioning whether or not what she was seeing was real.

But then Kaitlyn's ice blue eyes flicked over in her direction. Emma suddenly released a deep breath she had not even realized she'd been holding in the entire time. Her head was swimming with a thick fog.

"Emma, what are you doing here?"

The sound of Kaitlyn's voice caused something to click in Emma's head.

"Me?" she said breathlessly. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Kaitlyn snapped her powder compact shut and stuffed it into her small purse. She seemed to glide effortlessly towards Emma, who took an involuntary step backwards.

"You look so beautiful," she said, taking a lock of Emma's dark hair and running her fingers through it, "but you shouldn't be here. Don't you know what will happen if Klein or Charles sees you?"

"So they _are_ here?" Emma's breath caught in her throat.

"Don't you remember seeing them when you first walked in? They were right by the bar."

Emma's green eyes glazed over with a sudden realization. In her mind's eyes, she saw herself standing beside L, hesitating to take his hand. Beyond him, she recalled the two men waiting their turn at the bar. Charles Bowman's large, round body shook with laughter as Klein said something to him under his breath. They had been there all along, out in the open.

Emma turned back to look at Kaitlyn, who was merely gazing at her with a sad smile. She glanced down to see that she had grabbed her hands in her own, the bright lights reflecting off her red nails. A single tear slipped down Emma's cheek, but she returned the smile.

"You're not real," she whispered.

Kaitlyn shook her head silently.

"But... why now? This whole time, I haven't been able to see you. Why am I seeing you now?"

"Because you're in danger." Kaitlyn tightened her grasp around Emma's hands and looked at her pleadingly. "It was a bad idea to expose you like this. You shouldn't be alone. You need to find L - stay by his side."

Emma felt the sudden weight of reality crashing down around her in waves. Heart racing, she turned away from Kaitlyn and reached for the door. Kaitlyn was right: she needed to get back to L and tell him about Charles and Klein - that is, if he wasn't already aware of the men's presence.

But she found that she was no longer alone as she swung open the door. Standing across the hallway was a tall, slender man dressed in the same uniform as the rest of the wait staff. What was he doing there? He appeared to have been waiting for her.

Instinctively, Emma turned her head towards Kaitlyn - however, there was no one beside her. She was alone.

* * *

On the other side, in the middle of the crowd, L chewed his thumb nervously.

Something was wrong. He could sense it.

He had immediately recognized the two suspects at the bar and instructed everyone on his team to keep eyes on them. The two men were still nursing their identical drinks. He glanced upwards to see Watari in the same place he had left him, near the closest exit. Emma, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Fifteen minutes had passed since she'd practically run away from him, claiming to have been heading to the restroom. L had seen her make her way out into the courtyard and back into the main ballroom - but after that, she seemed to have vanished into thin air.

He had expected Klein Dolvetsky to recognize Emma almost immediately, but his expression did not give any sort of hint on whether or not he had indeed seen her. His face only revealed the amusement of a private joke that had been shared between him and Charles Bowman.

Had Emma noticed them and panicked? No, surely she would have said something. Even if not, he found her emotions quite easy to read; her face would have given it away the instant she would have laid eyes on them. No, he was quite sure that her sudden retreat had been his own fault.

His dark eyes flicked back over to the bar as a younger man approached Klein Dolvetsky. L watched as he spoke into the older man's ear. He noticed the corners of Klein Dolvetsky's mouth twitch upwards.

His plan would soon be set into motion.

* * *

Emma remained frozen in place, staring into the dark brown eyes of the waiter who simply grinned widely at her before extending his hand towards her.

"Miss Jordyn," he said, revealing a hint of an accent. "My employer has requested an audience with you. Please, if you would follow me."

The now familiar sensation of her body becoming feather-light began to creep up on her once again. Somehow, she could sense Kaitlyn's presence behind her.

"This is bad," she said. "You can't go with him."

Emma did not acknowledge her. Instead, she smiled politely at the man in front of her.

"I'm so sorry," she said, "but you see, I've kept my date waiting far too long - "

"I assure you, Miss Jordyn, we shall not take up too much of your time," the man interrupted, taking a step towards her.

He towered over her, and Emma fought hard not to shrink back into the wall. She looked up at him defiantly.

"I'm afraid I must insist you come with me."

His tone deepened, the smile no longer visible under his thick mustache. Emma felt the small hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise. Kaitlyn had disappeared once again.

A few short seconds passed in which Emma could do nothing but stare into the man's dark eyes. Before she could even think to run, she felt a large hand wrap itself around her upper arm. She immediately pulled back, but the man tightened his grip, pulling her closer -

The thought of L pushing her up against him flashed across her mind's eye. Why would she think of that at a time like this?

"Don't be stupid, girl," the man was saying, dragging her along with him as he began to make his way further down the long hallway - in the opposite direction of the party. "Just come with me. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

She didn't think as she felt the grip on her arm loosen. Taking him by surprise, she ripped herself from his grasp and attempted to push him away. He was nearly twice her size, so he merely took a step backwards, mostly due to the shock of her actions.

She even managed to make it a few feet away from him before she felt the sharp pain of her arm being twisted backwards. She whimpered, and he immediately slapped a hand across her mouth. The cool sensation of metal touched her bottom lip, and she glanced down to see a gold ring glaring up at her.

"I told you not to be stupid," he hissed in her ear.

At first, she continued to struggle against him, but her efforts were futile. They didn't go very far - just a few doors down from the restroom in which she had seen Kaitlyn just minutes earlier. Although, those minutes felt more like a lifetime away as she was roughly pushed into a bedroom to her left.

She stumbled forward and fell onto a carpeted floor. She felt a slight sting as the carpet rubbed against her knee, tearing through her stockings. At the sound of the door slamming shut behind her, she immediately scrambled towards it, desperately grabbing for the handle -

But of course, it was locked.

Sighing in defeat, she began to look around the room: It was a small study, mostly empty save for the deep red armchairs that stood opposite each other. Next to the one on the right, a tall lamp cast a dim glow over the room. Other than that, the room was dark.

It didn't take long before she heard the clicking sound of the door being unlocked, but she did not move even as it creaked open.

Unbeknownst to her, L was muttering instructions into Watari's earpiece from the other side of the ballroom.

"My dear girl, how I've missed you so."

A cold chill traveled up her spine as the familiar voice drifted into the room. She kept her back turned to the large, bumbling man that stumbled inside, filling the air with the heavy scent of whiskey. Emma felt herself suddenly grow very small. She felt as if she was back in that place.

"It's very rude for a lady not to greet a guest." Charles grinned, grabbing her hand and spinning her round. "Mr. Dolvetsky allowed me the pleasure of seeing you before he attend to his own business with you... but I'm afraid our time together will be quite short."

His thick sausage fingers crawled their way up the side of her arm. She cringed, biting back a whimper. She could not move. She merely closed her eyes, the smell of whiskey filling her nostrils.

Surely by now, L must have noticed she was missing. Was he looking for her? Had any of the men who came with them noticed her walking off alone? Her entire body began to hum with dread and desperation.

Just as she felt Charles Bowman's fat fingers begin to reach her exposed collarbone, the door swung open again. The small shred of hope that came with it was quickly eradicated as she realized it was not, in fact, a team of police officers coming to her rescue. Instead, it was Klein himself who practically skipped into the room.

"Did you really think you could run forever?" he said with a toothy grin. "It was rather stupid of you to come here, even with your protective custody."

Emma's eyes widened. He was planning on holding her hostage in this room, even though he was aware of the presence of the police? How could he be this cocky?

"What are you going to do?" she asked quietly.

"Well, I can't kill you with the police here." He rolled his eyes. "This is simply a warning, Emory. Based on the information I've gathered, you've been refusing to work with the FBI? Why is that?"

Emma was taken aback by his words. _He wants to kill me?_

"Of course he wants to kill you." Kaitlyn's voice echoed into the room, and suddenly she was standing beside Emma protectively. "You're testimony would put him away for a long time. All those files you read on his laptop..."

 _The files._

All this time, Emma believed Kaitlyn had been the one to break into Klein's laptop. She had been the one to discover just how far Klein went to keep his organization a secret. Drug trafficking, human trafficking, murder - the endless list of organized crime she had knowledge of was slowly returning to her memory. All of the encrypted emails she had spent so much time hacking into - it had been her all along.

Her thoughts were interrupted, as she realized she suddenly couldn't breathe. Klein had wrapped his hand around her throat and pushed her up against the wall. She tried to scream, but the only sounds to escape her throat were desperate gasps for air. She instinctively tried to pull his hand away, but he was too strong.

"This will be the only warning." Klein glared at her, his dark eyes narrowed. "You are protected for now, but soon that won't be the case. I don't know why you've remained quiet, but I suggest you continue to do so."

Emma felt as if she were going to faint. Black spots started to cloud her vision, and she felt light-headed. At this point, he might very well end up killing her -

But just as suddenly as he started, he stopped. Emma crumpled onto the floor, gasping for air and coughing. She could still feel the tightness around her neck, as if he still had a hold on her. She did not even notice the men exit the room, leaving her there alone.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter, and I feel like the ending is a little weird. I've been having a bit of writers' block. But anyway, please review and let me know your thoughts! I'm not used to writing more climactic scenes like this. How did I do?


End file.
